Gussas monkey








In the thin mountain air of the Guassa plateau in the Ethiopian Highlands, ecologist and photographer Jeff Kerby joined anthropologist Vivek Venkataraman expedition to study the interactions between gelada monkeys and Ethiopian wolves.

"The open expanses of Ethiopia’s Afro-alpine grasslands make perfect playgrounds for juvenile gelada monkeys. Their constant chattering, play fighting, and terrible coordination are enough to divert the attention of even the most hardened field observer away from more pressing project goals.

"This young male caught my attention at the end of a long day Vivek and I had spent searching for wolves. Sitting atop a giant lobelia plant he was uncharacteristically relaxed as he gnawed on an unpalatable, latex-filled leaf. We shared a brief moment, captured here, where a mature gaze eclipsed his youthful playfulness. As soon as I clicked the shutter he promptly flopped backward off the plant, rolled awkwardly after falling about a meter, and then ran off to bite his sister."

—Jeff Kerby, photographer on expedition with Young Explorer grantee Vivek Venkataraman