A birthday in the bush

Let me start by saying that it was not my birthday that was being celebrated today, but Duncan’s. However, for all of the wonderful things that I was able to share in, it may as well have been.

We were up bright and early and into the forest before seven as usual much to Duncan’s dismay, as I think that he had hoped that the special occasion would justify a lie in.

After three hours of walking with no sign of the chimpanzees we decided to add a bit of a celebratory feel to the day and so our wonderful (in my eyes anyway) creation, the ‘birthday chimp’, was born from the natural sandpit that is the Sand River Trail. After all, you are never too old to play in the sand!

The day got better from there on, as we soon found a lone male chimpanzee – a male so old and slow that we were able to happily watch him with his sparse grey hair and wrinkled face for over four hours as he sat resting his weary body and occasionally moving from branch to branch with all the speed and agility of a sloth.

Whilst the day in the forest was a particularly good one, it was in the evening that the celebrations really began.

To mark the occasion all of us researchers went to the plush surroundings of the safari lodge to join the managers Nadia and Keith for a birthday meal, along with Edson, who will be turning 40 on Thursday and so was sharing in the festivities.

The evening was a great success. The lodge is a stunning location, especially when viewed by the poolside with a cold beer in hand, and we were all very grateful to its lovely managers for inviting us to hold the birthday celebrations there surrounded by the beautiful wilderness of Semliki, or 'The Bush' as they called it.

The meal itself was incredible, with creamy pumpkin soup and mouth-watering steak to savour, and even a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake to finish with! Very colourful and tasty cocktails were provided as well as beer and wine, and with our exposure to alcohol being limited over the last month or so the conversation was soon flowing and everyone was on very good form.

While I am sure that Duncan missed having his friends and family around on his birthday I can’t think of many better ways to celebrate such an occasion than a day filled with a walk through the forest, complete with giant sand pit, and with some chimpanzee watching, followed by an evening of food, drink and merriment.

Today has been brilliant and I am very grateful to have been able to share in Duncan’s special day, as it was a special day for me too.

Written on Tuesday 17th August