Going to South Africa this summer? Better be ready to fight off the menacing baboons!

View full size photo »

Here’s something to consider as you start making plans for World Cup watching parties this summer … or, if you’re one of the lucky ones, as you prep for that 16-hour flight into Cape Town or Johannesburg:

A bunch of FIFA and national team worker bee types just went to South Africa for some early preparation and reconnaissance. FIFA folks were getting acquainted with procedures and logistics and such. The national team officials were scouting; assessing the available medical services, checking out hotels, making plans for news conference sites, etc. Mostly mundane stuff.

Until the baboons started attacking!

OK, that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one. Read on ...

Here’s something to consider as you start making plans for World Cup watching parties this summer … or, if you’re one of the lucky ones, as you prep for that 16-hour flight into Cape Town or Johannesburg:

A bunch of FIFA and national team worker bee types just went to South Africa for some early preparation and reconnaissance. FIFA folks were getting acquainted with procedures and logistics and such. The national team officials were scouting; assessing the available medical services, checking out hotels, making plans for news conference sites, etc. Mostly mundane stuff.

Until the baboons started attacking!

OK, that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one.

Here’s a great story that made the rounds among these folks:

At the official FIFA hotel, one man who was in town to get familiar with his duties was awakened by someone / something rattling around in his room. He soon discovered it was a baboon. His room was on the second floor, but because the hotel was situated on a bit of a hill there was a certain ground access to the second floor. Maybe not for you and I … but the runway was apparently clear if you happen to be a baboon.

Well, hotel staff has dealt with this before. It was no biggie. The man went to the front desk. The staff sent someone to shoo the little bugger away and all was well in the world.

Until the poor fellow went to breakfast the next day. When he returned, his room had been tossed. It was a complete mess. The baboon had obviously returned.

I heard this story while visiting with some folks who had returned recently from that trip. At that point, I had but one thought:

This World Cup … it’s gonna be a bit different.

There have been other tales, not necessarily related to World Cup, that are much less benign. In all seriousness, security is a huge concern. The next story I write about strange happenings of a major global event staged in a developing country, well, let’s hope it has a comical bent, too.