In the Summer of 2010 I shall be going to Uganda as a research volunteer on the Semliki Chimpanzee Project. I will spend ten weeks following and studying the chimpanzees of Semliki Wildlife Reserve, learning the ropes as a fledgling chimpanzee chaser. This blog will chart the memorable animals, people and events that I encounter along the way and my experiences with the stars of the trip, the Semliki chimpanzees.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Quality time

For the last week or so our luck with the chimpanzees has been considerably better than it had been during our previous weeks here and we have been lucky enough to enjoy many hours of quality time with our fascinating study subjects.

Seeing the chimpanzees has certainly not lost its appeal for me and a big grin still spreads across my face every time we stumble across them. Watching them moving in the trees above us, occasionally swinging between branches silhouetted against the sky, and seeing how they behave and interact with one another is always a fantastic experience and I am especially thankful for every precious minute that I spend with the chimpanzees now that I have less than a month of this trip remaining.

Excitement grips me each time I see the first dark chimpanzee outline of the day and all thoughts of the miles walked, the aching of my legs and my dwindling energy reserves disappear when I am with them.

The sight of the chimpanzee often draws my mind back to those childhood years when I would watch documentaries about chimpanzees wishing that I was there with them and I would race around the garden pretending to be exploring some distant jungle teeming with wildlife with my treasured toy monkey in tow. These memories make me reflect on how lucky I am to be here now studying the chimpanzees and leave me with a feeling of amazement that my childhood dreams have become a reality as I sit amongst the towering trees in the forest with wild chimpanzees above me.

I am very grateful that the Semliki chimpanzees are currently making more regular appearances, and I now hope that they continue to do so for the remaining few weeks of this chimpanzee chasing adventure.


Written on Tuesday 24th August
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2 comments:

  1. ATJC25 August 2010 at 09:43

    Alex what camera do you use, the detail is unbelievable?!
    Hope the great sightings keep up and everyone is well!


    Previous semliki researcher Alex here.

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  2. Alex Page20 September 2010 at 08:07

    Hi Alex

    I was kindly lent my sister's Canon EOS 300D and my mum's telephoto lens to use whilst I was in Uganda. Plus I was lucky enough to have Jacko pose right in front of me for a good 40 minutes or so - it seems the chimpanzees do behave nicely for us sometimes!

    Back home now after an incredible time in Semliki. Everyone in camp was well and asked after you. I have a couple of letters from them for you that I'll get to you at some point. Should I mail them to you, or will you be in Cambridge anytime soon?

    If you'd like the files for any of my photos just let me know. There's also hundreds of Semliki photos on my facebook page now if you wanted to have a look at those.

    Hope you are well

    Alex

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