My kind of work

After my brief encounter with the chimpanzees in the first week I was lucky enough to spend a lot more time with my primate subjects in week two.

On Wednesday we found a group of chimpanzees feeding in the treetops close to the trail. Having seen us a couple screamed and hid in the canopy, but a number of the chimpanzees carried on with their fruity feast seemingly untroubled by our presence. It is a sign of the ongoing success of habituation efforts here that the chimpanzees often allow human observers to get close to them, even going so far as to calmly groom each other in our presence.

We positioned ourselves where we could easily watch the chimpanzees and then Duncan and I proceeded to take notes on their behaviour. As I sat in the forest with my trusty binoculars around my neck and my notebook in hand I thought about what a privilege it was to be there and that it certainly beat a day of lectures! Lying back with my binoculars focused on the chimpanzees in the tree above is certainly my kind of work.

With the aid of identification charts and the impressive knowledge of the Semliki chimpanzees that Edson possesses we were able to put names to some of the individuals in the group. As I watched the chimpanzees for those wonderful hours different personalities became clear.

Among the group was Mzee, a large and haggard-looking old male who commanded the respect of the other chimpanzees and was confident in our presence. Then there was Buzz, the nervy male who seemed to spend most of the day alternating between screaming at us and lazing in a branch above our heads. Perhaps the most notable personality was the adult male Fuller, who seemed to have no fear of his team of observers and to delight in his repeated attempts (one of which was successful) to urinate on Duncan!

Hours flew by as I watched the animal that has fascinated me since childhood, and it was a sad moment when, after nearly three whole days of observation, the chimpanzees once again disappeared and we were unable to relocate them. However I knew that all good things must come to an end and the last few days have been fantastic. I now only hope that it will not be too long before I catch up with the Semliki chimpanzees again.

Written Saturday 17th July