Springwatch’s Chris Packham reveals bizarre way he escaped mauling from an angry baboon in Africa

TV naturalist Chris Packham says he once escaped a mauling from an angry baboon — by yelling in its face.

He was working in Africa when the male monkey confronted him in a picnic area.

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Chris Packham says he once escaped a mauling from a baboon by yelling in its faceCredit: Jack Hill/The Times, The Sunday Times.

Chris, 62, said: “It was barking in my face. I stood above it, raised my arms, shouted and didn’t move a centimetre.

“Had I moved backwards or run I would have been savaged.

“After I could smell fear that had come from the pores of my body.

“I assure you it was only my pores.”

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The BBC Springwatch star also told a podcast of an incident while taking a picture of a young male elephant.

"I had a very close shave with a young male elephant on one occasion when I was looking at the back of my camera, having taken a photograph of it.

"I thought it had left the area and it hadn't.

"I only just made it back into a vehicle.

"That would have been potentially a terminal encounter."