National Geographic: Among the Wild Chimpanzees Page #2

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chimps eat up to

seven hours a day

Much of their diet is fruit

but they also feed on leaves

blossoms, seeds, and stems

After congregating at a food source

several individuals may rest

and groom together

then separate once again

The only stable group within the

community is a mother and her young

Males take no part

in child rearing

Contrary to common belief

chimps do not have fleas

Mutual grooming does remove flakes

of dried skin and grass seeds

but physical contact for its own

sake seems to be the primary goal

Not much interested

in quiet pursuits

youngsters have better things to do

"The chimps very gradually

came to realize that

I was not dangerous after all

I shall never forget the day

after about 18 months when

for the first time

a small group allowed me

to approach and be near them

Finally I had been accepted

I think it was one

of the proudest

and most exciting moments

of my whole life

Chimpanzees are as distinct from

one another as are human beings

and Jane gave them names

as she came to recognize them

Old Flo, with her bulbous

nose and ragged ears

is matriarch of the family

Jane would come to know best

At seven weeks, infant Flint is

still completely dependent on Flo

Flo's adolescent son Figan plays

with his younger sister Fifi

Even fully mature Faben often

stays with the family

Ever since Flint's birth

his sister Fifi has been

fascinated by the baby

Repeatedly she tries to

touch and groom him

The older chimps

less interested in babies

tend to ignore Flint

But Fifi is persistent

actually trying to take

the infant from Flo

Though protective of her newborn

Flo is never rough with Fifi

When she's had enough

she simply walks off

leaving Fifi looking

rather frustrated

Another group's arrival is signaled

by a chorus of hooting calls

Adult males dominate chimp society

and are much preoccupied with

their position in the hierarchy

In an effort to better his rank the

male puts on an awesome charging display

With hair bristling

and vegetation flying

the male makes himself appear larger

and more dangerous than he actually is

Intended to intimidate rivals

it is usually nothing

more than superb bluff

After displays of aggression

the dominant chimp often reassures those

who have been frightened or hurt

and thus tension is defused

harmony restored

One male rose to the

top of the hierarchy

by intelligence rather than strength

Mike discovered that rolling

empty kerosene cans from Jane's camp

made a horrifying noise

Originally one of the

lowest ranking males

Mike was now number one

Close to where they are feeding

when dusk falls the chimpanzees will build

sleeping nests for the night 30

to 40 feet up in the trees

After choosing a suitable

foundation such as a horizontal fork

the chimp takes only three to

five minutes to bend down branches

then twigs, to create

a comfortable, padded bed

With creature comforts

long since forsaken

Jane found increasing pleasures

in her wilderness world

But, as she soon discovered

human creature comforts

were not without appeal to some

A chimp had wandered into camp

and found the supply tent

where bananas were stored

Because he had been to camp

before when Jane was in the forest

she had a prearranged signal

to call her back

"It was thrilling after all this time

to find a chimp actually in my camp

It was David Greybeard

a male I had already come to

know out in the forest."

David's boldness marked

a turning point for Jane

After the endless months

she had searched for them

the chimps

following David's lead

mow came to her

Gradually

their inherent fear gave way

and an offer of friendship

was accepted with trust

If she could lure the chimps

into camp regularly

Jane realized

her observations would be

far more consistent than

chance encounters in the forest

Bananas were the answer

The scheme was not without its flaws

as the local baboons quickly proved

David Greybeard repeatedly

ran to his friend

the more powerful Goliath

for protection

Goliath came to David's defense

but the baboon knew

which chimp was afraid

and it was David

he went for every time

Because of the trust

established in camp

tracking the chimps in the forest

was now much easier for Jane

She was able to follow and document

in detail the development of

Flo's infant son, Flint

At six months

Flint is learning to ride

on his mother's back

But sometimes he doesn't

get it quite right

At around the same age

he takes his first tottering steps

When he stumbles and whimpers

Flo quickly rescues him

Flo is a particularly affectionate

tolerant and playful mother

and because much maternal

behavior is learned

she is the role model

for her daughter Fifi

As Flint grows older

Flo permits Fifi to take him

for brief periods of time

Such experiences provide important

training for the future when young

females mature and

have offspring of their own

About the time Flo

begins to carry Flint on her back

Fifi tries to imitate Flo

Though unsuccessful

the attempt marks an important

milestone in her learning experience

Mandy is a young female who has

just had her first baby

Fifi has never seen the baby

before and is intrigued

For the moment at least

this is something more

interesting than Flint

As Mandy settles down

Fifi comes for a closer look at

this newest member of the community

All youngsters at Gombe

are interested in new babies

but Jane had never seen one

who showed more fascination than Fifi

A study in concentration

Mandy is not worried

by Fifi's presence

but when adolescent male Figan

approaches she nervously moves off

Both Fifi and Figan are fascinated

by the smell of the new baby

Fifi has followed Mandy up a tree

and now attempts to touch the baby

Mandy gently fends her off

Meanwhile, even Flint is curious

about another infant younger than he

But Flo is ready to move on

in search of food

and she lets Flint know

it is time to go

Fifi, still engrossed

with Mandy's baby

does not notice that they leave

When she finally

looks for her mother

Flo is out of sight

At six, Fifi is still quite dependent

on her mother and cries in distress

She has no idea in

what direction Flo has gone

Normally Flo would come

at Fifi's cries

but apparently can't hear her

above the growing storm

Although chimps seem miserable

in the rain

surprisingly they make little effort

to find shelter

Even in a torrential downpour

they just sit and wait it out

Long committed to observing

the chimps seven days a week

Jane ignored the rain

Searching for the lost Fifi

she saw something remarkable instead

the male Goliath performing

a spectacular display

Enthralled by the magnificent

"rain dance,"

Jane would later write:

"With a display of strength and vigor

such as this primitive man himself

might have challenged the elements."

Twenty minutes later the rain dance

was over as suddenly as it had begun

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