A New Large Primate for Kenya: Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas (Primates: Cercopithecidae)

Researchers have documented the first occurrence of the hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) in Kenya, extending its known range into East Africa. Between February 2023 and April 2025, surveys across northern Kenya identified at least four groups of this primate in Malka Mari National Park, approximately 75 km southeast of the previously documented range in southern Ethiopia. This discovery significantly expands the geographic distribution of P. hamadryas, which was hitherto unknown in Kenya. The findings also highlight a complex primate community in the region, with three Papio species and four taxa now recorded in Kenya. The study suggests that the baboon's range may extend further northward into Ethiopia and westward beyond Malka Mari National Park, contributing new insights to the biodiversity of Lake Turkana National Parks.

de Jong, Y. A., & Butynski, T. M. (2025). A New Large Primate for Kenya: Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas (Primates: Cercopithecidae). Journal of East African Natural History, 114(10). https://doi.org/10.2982/028.114.1001