More about the current research coming later.

Meanwhile, read our updates from the field in Africa.

You can also see: Primate Reproductive Ecology Lab.

Elephant alert

This morning was very exciting. We un-nested Kakama close to the fig tree where he spent most of yesterday. He sat up at about 7:00, quickly climbed down, and started traveling quickly.

Francis and Japan stayed behind to collect a urine sample, while James (a new field assistant) and I crashed off after Kakama.

It was still quite dark, so we relied on our ears to follow him. He pant-hooted and buttress-drummed once or twice, and then stopped in a clearing to listen for the calls of other chimps.

First, we spent two days with Outamba and her family as they fed on Ficus brachylepis fruits and traveled very little.

Then, on Tuesday, Kakama quietly joined them.

Kakama is an impressive young male, whom many agree will probably be the next alpha male.

After feeding with Outamba and her family for a couple of hours, Kakama suddenly descended and traveled rapidly to the west.

Japan (one of the field assistants) and I quickly followed him as he melted through the undergrowth. He traveled without stopping for 30 minutes, periodically pant-hooting and buttress drumming.

He made several impressive charging displays, reminding Kakama that he still outranks him.

The party settled down, and many fed on Ficus natalensis fruits. Outamba and family joined us, followed by Francis and John, the field assistants who had been with them since the morning.

We spent the rest of the day with this party.

I tried my best to learn the new faces, and discussed data collection methods with the field assistants.

It was nice to be with a big group of chimps again!

I've been into the forest twice more since my last entry. The situation is still very much the same - the chimps are scattered far and wide, and the field assistants have been following whomever they can find. For the past few days they have concentrated on Outamba and her large family. I have been accompanying them, monitoring the data collection, and getting to know the family.

We had a good meeting with all the staff a couple of days ago, during which we introduced the new data sheets. After discussing them with the field assistants, I have a few final changes to make, and then they will start using them. I will be in the forest with them each day, answering their questions, and making sure that they are consistent in what they record.

Yesterday Martin and I drove down to the Ngogo research camp to pick up some chimpanzee urine samples. It was a stunning drive through towering trees and then large stretches of elephant grass and acacia trees. I plan to walk down to Ngogo later this week, and will describe it in greater detail in a future blog entry.

Ian

Makoku - one of the chimps Ian met today © Jean-Michel Krief

Early start to go out for chimps

I've just returned from a wonderful morning in the forest. Last night, we heard that the field assistants had “nested” four chimpanzees not far from camp.

Chimpanzees construct large night nests in trees by weaving branches together. Since chimpanzees are sometimes hard to find, it's particularly valuable to know where they have nested.

I awoke shakily at 5:00 AM , and quickly got dressed in the pre-dawn chill. I wore my typical field “uniform” – army pants, a t-shirt and an army ranger's vest. It was damp and cool, so I also put on a long-sleeved thermal top. The forest can be quite wet in places, so I wore knee-high rubber boots.

I quickly wolfed down a couple of slices of toast in the kitchen, where I met Richard, who was also heading out to find the chimps.

Soon 4 field assistants, Francis, Solomon, John and Japan materialized from the darkness, and after they gathered their datasheets, we set off.

We quickly left the main track, and after a few twists and turns, were below the nests. It was still quite dark, so we sat quietly, listening to the first bird calls and monkey chirps as the forest started to wake.

Solomon found a long forked stick, and fitted it with a plastic bag, ready to catch urine falling from the nests. These samples will be used for the ongoing endocrinology research that Martin and others conduct here at Kibale.

Late start for the chimps

It had been a chilly, wet night, so the chimpanzees were slow to wake. They were so late, in fact, that Richard had to return to camp to prepare for a meeting before they were properly out of their nests. First to descend was Tongo, carrying year-old Tsunami, and followed by four-year old Tuber.

Almost immediately, Makoku, an adult male, swung out of his low nest and set off down the path. We quickly fell in behind him, while Tongo and her family traveled 10 meters or so to our right. Makoku's pace did not change when he turned off the trail into the thick, damp undergrowth.

Kibale forest - plantlife beneath the canopy can be quite thick.
© Kate Wrangham-Briggs

Solomon followed first, using a panga (machete) to clear the way. This was new to me – at Gombe, we used to struggle through the tangles without pangas, often on our hands and knees.

Very soon, the chimps disappeared into an impenetrable tangle of vegetation, where they started munching on terrestrial herbs. We spent a couple of hours, chatting about the differences between Gombe and Kibale, families, backgrounds, etc, and occasionally checking to make sure that the chimps were still there.

Honey raid

At about 10:00 , we suddenly realized that they had moved on, so we quickly skirted the patch they had been feeding in, and caught up with them just as Makoku climbed to raid a bees nest.

He sat about 30 feet up, reaching his arm into a hole in the crotch of a tree. Angry bees swarmed him, and he repeated swatted at them as he feasted on large honeycombs.

Tongo sat just below Makoku and stared at the honey, but she did not attempt to steal any from him. It's always a bit nerve-wracking watching chimps and bees, because it is quite common for the bees to turn on the observers as well. So, we kept our distance, and soon Makoku climbed down. Tongo immediately inspected what was left of the hive, but I did not see if she got any honey, because Makoku was traveling on.

Mid-day nap

He climbed a large fig tree, and after eating a few figs, sat quietly grooming himself. Francis and Solomon caught up on their field notes, and I used a GPS unit to record our location.

One of my goals for this project is to assess whether it is practical to include GPS technology in the long-term data collection. Currently, the field assistants record the location of chimpanzee groups by hand on a map of the park.

After a few minutes, Makoku built himself a large day nest in the fig tree, and lay down for a nap. It was about 12:30 , so I decided to return to camp to finish writing a set of data-collection instructions for the field assistants. We will be meeting with them tomorrow to introduce some new datasheets.

It was fantastic to be back in the forest.

Ian

See also
:: The chimp files
:: More about the Kibale Chimpanzee Project

Kanyawara gate of Kibale National Park
© Kate Wrangham-Briggs

First days in Kibale forest

I'm sitting on the porch of chimp house, listening to the forest wake up on my second full day at Kibale. Before we arrived there had been no rain for a month, but there have been two thunderstorms since we arrived.

The evenings and mornings have been chilly, and everything is wonderfully green and lush. Unfortunately, I have not yet ventured into the forest. We had a meeting yesterday to discuss the duties of the new field manager, and my focus today will be to write up some instructions for him. I hope to be done relatively quickly so that I can explore the forest a bit this afternoon.

When we first arrived there were a few black and white colobus monkeys in the trees behind the house, and yesterday evening a troop of baboons briefly passed through camp. I understand that camp is usually teeming with primates, and that the current conditions are rather unusual.

Black and white colobus monkeys can be seen in camp
© Sonya Kahlenberg

Apparently there isn't much food available for the chimpanzees, so they are spread far and wide. The males haven't been seen for several days. I'm hoping that conditions will change in the next couple of weeks so that I can see as much of the community as I can.

Chimp house

Since I haven't been into the forest yet, let me describe our camp. Chimp house is a low cement building with a corrugated metal roof – typical of the buildings here at the research station.

There are three simple bedrooms with comfortable beds, mosquito nets, and screen cabinets for storing clothes. We must be careful not to leave damp clothing out, for fear of mango flies. Mango flies lay eggs in damp clothing, and when the larvae hatch, they burrow into one's skin, where they mature. So after our clothes dry on a clothesline, they must be ironed to kill the eggs.

Chimp house © Sonya Kahlenberg

The side door of the house opens onto a kind of courtyard, flanked by large rainwater barrels and the kitchen. There is a small gas burner and a hearth where Margaret, the cook/housekeeper, bakes fresh bread.

Attached to the kitchen is a shower room, where there is sometimes running water for a cold scrubdown. More often than not people pour water over themselves with a cup and a bucket. Richard and Elizabeth have their own house just beyond the kitchen, and the “long-drop” toilet is just up the hill.

Makerere University field station

Chimp house is set apart from the rest of the research station, which is run by Makerere University . The main compound consists of many buildings – duplexes for visiting researchers, offices, a library, a small canteen, and a dormitory that holds 60 people. The latter is used mainly for field courses from Makerere and other universities. In the mid-90s, the field station employed 170 workers, but now there are considerably fewer, as funding is tight.

In my next entry, I will hopefully describe my first observations of the Kanyawara chimpanzee community.

Ian

See also
:: The chimp files
:: More about the Kibale Chimpanzee Project