Fongoli Savanna Chimps

Dormitory is going up!

2012-01-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

Neighbor Ape and OBRAR (Senegalese organization) have begun construction on the dormitory that will allow Beudick children in outlying villages to live in and attend school in Kedougou. This video shows the first step in the process (following land purchase, of course!): brick making! Over 10,000 bricks were made. Volunteers from OBRAR assisted the brick-makers. The bricks are now being "cooked", and construction will begin shortly. This particular project is made possible by the kind donations of Drs. Harold Marder and Jewel Slesnick! More videos soon! (and chimps news coming soon also!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDKGE5LXok&list=UU1p_ebHTaACo_nNbCkiaDQQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video

New article on food and tool "sharing" in Fongoli chimps

2011-11-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Our new publication is now available online at the journal Primates. Iowa State University Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Anthropology, home department), Stacy Lindshield, and I published an article on 'Plant Food and Tool Transfer in Savanna Chimpanzees'. There is a link to the paper from the news article that Iowa State University put out, below.

We note that the frequency of non-meat transfer appears high at Fongoli relative to the sharing of wild plants and other foods and tools by chimpanzees elsewhere, and we talk about why that may be. (We'll eventually examine meat-sharing as well, in a separate paper). We also point out that we think this is a tendency for West African chimps to fall closer to bonobos in terms of this and other behaviors along a continuum that includes all Pan species and subspecies.

In large part, adult males allowed adult females to take resources from them. Adult male Karamoko, pictured in the photos above (Courtesy National Geographic) was one of the adult males that shared termite-fishing tools with females.

http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/nov/sharingchimps

Neighbor Ape Dormitory Project Update, Faleme Chimpanzee Conservation and Other News

2011-11-24T14:03:00.001-08:00

Received some good news on Thanksgiving from Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project Manager and Director of Conservation, Dondo Kante (pictured above with wife, Nene, and daughter, Nadege).

The Neighbor Ape/OBRAR project that entails construction of a dormitory so village children can attend school in the regional capitol of Kedougou is moving along, and the mayor of Kedougou DONATED 2 plots of land to match the 2 purchased with the generous gift of Neighbor Ape donors Jewel Slesnick and Harold Marder (see previous posts).

Dondo has been filming stages of construction, and I will post these when I arrive in Senegal in late December.

In chimpanzee news, Iowa State University graduate Anna Olson, who is assisting ISU PhD student Stacy Lindshield with her dissertation research, informed me that the Fongoli chimps have moved back closer to Fongoli village, where they can be heard at night. Can't wait to hear that again!

Finally, ISU PhD student Kelly Boyer just had her own Faleme Chimpanzee Conservation project branded by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Congratulations Kelly! Here is a link to her project:

http://www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/waza-conservation-projects/overview/faleme-chimpanzee-conservation-project

School Supplies for Djendji Village School and Announcing Luna!

2011-11-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

The crew in Senegal recently presented the village of Djendji a year's supply of school equipment. In this photo, Josh (see below) is pictured with the chief of Djendji and the boxes of school supplies. In the photo above, some of the men at Djendji prepare their drums for the dance after the presentation (top photo).

In chimp news, Lucille's newest infant, a daughter, has been given the name "Luna" by one of the graduate students working at Fongoli this year. Josh Marshack, of Washington University-St. Louis, did the honor. Josh is studying aggression and affiliation in the Fongoli chimpanzees. Luna is the fourth offspring and second daughter (that we know of) of adult female Lucille. Luthor, Lex and Sounkaro are Luna's siblings.

And, finally, the OBRAR project is progressing. The first stage is buying the land in Kedougou and building the dormitories for the children living in and around Thiobo village. Videos will be posted on the progress here in the future.

New Baby and New Neighbor Ape Project!

2011-10-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Some very exciting news Senegal is that Lucille had an infant in late August, and researchers were finally able to confirm that it is a girl!! Congrats Lucille - one of the most energetic moms (considering her interbirth intervals are relatively short at less than 4 years!). Name for new daughter coming soon. This is Lucille's fourth infant, behind Luthor, Lex and Sounkaro. (Photo above - courtesy of the National Geographic Society - is of Lucille & Sounkaro several years ago, relaxing in Sakoto pool).

Other very exciting news is that our non-profit organization, Neighbor Ape, has been able to move forward with our plans to construct a dormitory for village children from southeastern Senegal. This would enable these children to live in Kedougou and attend school there. Two very generous donors made this project possible - thank you Harold Marder and Jewel Slesnick! Updates on this project soon - including some video of the progress!

New faces, new names...lots of hunting!

2011-08-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

An update on some of the happenings around Fongoli includes a little bit about some of the new faces, along with their new names (that we use anyway!) and, finally, an update on galago hunting!

Natasha's infant son is now about 3 months old, and he is quite active. He has been given a name courtesy of a generous donor, Carolyn Farris, to the Leakey Foundation, which auctioned off the name of Natasha's infant to raise funds for that organization (they have also kindly funded the research at Fongoli!). They also recently posted a blog entry that I wrote about an exciting day at Fongoli.

Ms. Farris noted, "I would like to name Natasha’s baby “Pistache” (French for pistachio nut), after my long hair Chihuahua. I adopted her from the Helen Woodward Animal Center and she was named after a character in a book. The chain of events that led to her adoption started on Bastille Day, so I thought a French name would be appropriate for her. The name is pronounced Pee-stash. My little dog is popular with everyone she meets, as she is loving, cuddly and playful. She is also tall for a Chihuahua, just as Natasha and her son are tall."

Pistache the Fongoli chimp is indeed tall for his age - and quite precocious! Natasha is careful to keep others away from him at his young age, but infant Aimee sometimes can sneak in and touch him. The other new group member, adolescent female immigrant Lily is often close by as well and sometimes seems to "accidentally" groom Pistache for a second before resuming to groom Natasha. Lily has been a member of the Fongoli community for several months now and has integrated well. She is quite outgoing, tends to challenge the resident females, likes to spend time with the alpha male (who doesn't?!), and still plays extensively with the youngsters. Hopefully, pictures of Pistache and Lily will be posted here soon (I've had technical difficulties this summer!).

Finally, we have already racked up 45 tool-assisted "spearing" hunting bouts this year! This ties our record, which was set last year. Although hunting peaks in the early rainy season, chances are a few more observations will trickle in, and we'll set a new record this year! Young female Fanta is currently the most prolific hunter, although adult female Tumbo (seen above in photo with infant Cy, courtesy National Geographic Society) still holds the record for the highest success rate. Well done Fongoli chimps!

10 years of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project

2011-07-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

This past week we had a party to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project. Thanks to everyone (and there are many!) who helped along the way!

People from the villages of Fongoli, Djendji, Petit Oubadji, Tenkoto, Seekoto, Ngari, Bantako and probably a few others came, as well as some folks from Kedougou and beyond! There was much dancing (traditional, as in the video I've posted a link to here, as well as more of the modern style once the DJ got started!) and feasting!

Chimps were given a day to party on their own too - without ANY observers! They were nice enough to let me find them quickly the next day and, to my surprise, Bo was back after being gone for about two and a half weeks. That made the community complete - 31 together - except for a couple of peripheral males we see once or twice a year...

Also, the day before our 10th anniversary fete, I saw, heard or found evidence for TEN different hunts. I saw 7 cases of tool-assisted galago hunting, another case where I heard the hunt and saw the adolescent female leaving and found the tool, a case where an adult female examined a hunting tool that had recently been made and, finally, I witnessed a vervet monkey hunt (with Lily, the newly transferred subadult female in the lead)! I'm sad to say no one I observed got lucky (except for the prey!).

Here is a link to the fantastic Bassari dancers from the village of Petit Oubadji who danced most of the day for us at the anniversary party:

http://youtu.be/gSLCVx2PRhU

Fongoli update!

2011-05-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

The first rains at Fongoli brought out a couple of tool-assisted "spearing" hunting bouts! The first of the season - by adult female Tumbo and juvenile female Fanta (although the latter was only seen making a tool, which was then retrieved, so we can't add a score to Fanta's tally!). No success but exciting nonetheless!

Fongoli chimps seem to be doing well. Natasha had an infant last month - probably a male although we still need to double check on that when we can get a good look. She is quite protective still and holds the baby very close. Farafa's female infant, Vivienne, who was born in October of 2010, is spending time away from Mom - not too far yet, though. The chimps were in a group of 28 yesterday, which includes everyone except Nickel, Teva and Dawson, who have been seen fairly recently though.

A small gold mine has erupted within the Fongoli chimps' home range, but it may subside as did one that appeared several years ago. These are mines dug by local people, which consist of a series of small but deep holes. They are much less problematic for chimps compared to the large-scale, corporate mines that will be increasing in southeastern Senegal...

Still hot here - usually over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Both humans and chimps looking forward to the rains really starting!

Photo of Tumbo and her infant Cy, who apparently loves to ride "jockey style" by Dr. Maja Gaspersic, May 2011.

Neighbor Ape officially 501(c)3 Non-Profit

2011-04-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Great news that Neighbor Ape has been given official non-profit [501(c)3] status by the IRS! Although we've been incorporated since 2008, I just received the good news on the non-profit status yesterday! This means that anyone who donates to Neighbor Ape is making a TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution, and this status is retroactive to the date on which we were incorporated in 2008. Soon, I'll provide more information on how you can easily donate to our organization. For now, I'll probably arrange something via the National Geographic Action Atlas website:

http://www.actionatlas.org/conservation/animals-plants/neighbor-ape/summary/paaB0E8E461B66A688C0

This year, we continue to focus on education but also hope to start our eco-ranger program.

Photo above of Tia and Aimee (who is doing very well more than two years after her "chimp-napping" from the Fongoli community but with successful return)courtesy of Kelly Boyer.

Termites, termites, termites!

2011-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Check out the article available online at the American Journal of Physical Anthropology on Dr. Stephanie Bogart's dissertation work at Fongoli. Male Fongoli chimps appear to spend more time termite-fishing than chimps at any other site (we don't yet have data on females' time spent fishing).

All termites, all of the time!
(Photo above of Frito termite-fishing at Fongoli, Senegal, courtesy of National Geographic Society).

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.21452/abstract

Meet Vivienne!

2010-12-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

It took only a couple of months, but Farafa was finally somewhat cooperative so that I was able to get a shot of her newest infant. Turns out it's a girl! She can be seen here bouncing around on her mother's belly as Farafa is preoccupied with grooming, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGGqWpm6shQ

2010-11-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Just published online - an article I wrote about Mike's (photo of Mike above courtesy of National Geographic Society) care of infant Aimee when we returned her to the Fongoli chimps after she was taken by poachers. This is a link to the Journal of Ethology

http://www.springerlink.com/content/423r8363412015p4/

New infant at Fongoli!

2010-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Big news at Fongoli is that female Farafa had a new baby! She is also mother of Fanta, David and Frito (deceased). New baby seems to be doing well - very hardy in his clinging ability - and the rest of the chimp community is very interested in him (we think it's a boy but need to get a better view to be sure!).

In other news, we recently had a paper published in the American Journal of Primatology. First author is Michaela Howells, a 2005 graduate of Iowa State University in Anthroplogy. The paper stems from her Master's research on parasites at Fongoli and includes data on baboons as well as the Fongoli chimps. Here is a link to the journal:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1098-2345

New journal articles about Fongoli

2010-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

The newest issue of the journal African Primates is online and access is free! Two articles stem from events at Fongoli. One details our work in returning Fongoli infant chimp Aimee to her mother Tia after she was taken by poachers in January 2009. The other notes a rare sighting of a guenon (monkey) not normally found as far north as Fongoli. Here is the link to the journal:

http://journals.sfu.ca/afrprims

Tool-assisted hunting at Fongoli surpasses the century mark

2010-06-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

So far this year, we've recorded 40 tool-assisted ("spear") hunts by Fongoli chimps, and the hunting "season" (i.e., the rainy season) has barely started... That brings the grand total of tool-assisted hunts by Fongoli chimps to over 130 recorded bouts since they were first habituated in 2005. Females continue to hunt more than expected, with males hunting less than expected - but with several adult males exhibiting the behavior (and one more than once!) since we first reported tool-assisted hunting in the 2007 Current Biology paper.

Below is a link to a short video showing Fongoli chimpanzee female Nickel's "spear" tool, which is included in the Smithsonian Institution's new Human Origins exhibit.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JillPruetz

Farewell to Frito

2010-06-01T14:25:00.001-07:00

Sadly, I was able to confirm this week upon my return to Fongoli that the chimpanzee my research team found dead in April was indeed Frito. He died at the age of 10 (or thereabouts), and you can see him in this video I took a month or so before he died. We don't know how he died, but he was found along a chimp trail between two distant water sources. Ultimately, he will be buried near Sakoto ravine where I think he found some of his happiest moments - especially in Sakoto pool. I don't believe I've ever seen a chimpanzee as happy-go-lucky as Frito. Fortunately, he is immortalized in the documentary films, 'Ape Genius' and 'Chimps: Next of Kin'. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8ucPhAS4g

Fongoli chimps on National Geographic Channel

2010-04-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

The documentary about Fongoli chimps aired last night on the National Geographic Channel. It can be seen again today (Saturday, April 3) and also next Friday, April 9. Here is a link on their website that gives you more info and some extras!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/chimps-next-of-kin-4166/Overview#tab-Overview

Tia and Aimee one year later

2010-03-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's been over one year since Tia's daughter Aimee was taken by poachers, confiscated by my project manager Dondo Kante and returned to her mother by myself, Dondo and Michel Sahdjakho, another research assistant on the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project. Both Tia and Aimee have recovered well. This is a brief video I took of Tia feeding on figs while Aimee just hangs around. It is the middle of the dry season, but they are in one of the small areas of gallery forest, along Tukantaba ravine here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpu1GUA_TxU

More Fongoli chimp news...fire and things

2010-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

I spoke on Iowa Public Radio's 'The Exchange' today about the Fongoli chimps' behavior around fire, along with some comments on Nickel's tool being showcased in the Smithsonian's upcoming Human Origins. The latter half of the show includes Dr. Benjamin Beck of the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, speaking about his chimpanzee conservation project in Rwanda as well as new developments at The Trust.

http://iowapublicradio.org/audio/theExchange/te100119.mp3?start%3D00%3A00%3A00.000%26end%3D00%3A46%3A30.000

Chimps and fire!

2009-12-26T20:33:00.001-08:00

We just published a brief article on the Fongoli chimps' interactions with wildfires and implications for understanding this aspect of early hominid evolution. The article can be found in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Here is a link to a couple of news articles about the manuscript:

www.news.iastate.edu/news/2009/dec/wildfires

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/1222/2

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/12/23/chimps-dont-run-from-fire%E2%80%94they-dance-with-it/

New article about Fongoli chimps

2009-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just published in the online journal PaleoAnthropology is an article that Paco Bertolani and I wrote about the Fongoli chimpanzees and their behavioral responses to the savanna environment in which they live.

http://www.paleoanthro.org/journal/contents_dynamic.asp

Nickel's tool to be showcased in Smithsonian!

2009-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a press release about the new Human Origins exhibit that will open at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in March 2010. A "spear" tool made by Nickel (mother of Teva, daughter of Nene, and sister of Nellie) will be included.

"http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/nmnh_human_origins_announcement_release.htm"

After 6 months...Aimee and Tia

2009-07-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Photo of Mike by Frans Lanting

This week marks approximately the 6-month anniversary of Aimee's return to Tia after she was taken by poachers. I spent some time watching Aimee 2 days ago, before I left Fongoli for a brief trip to Tanzania. I was observing Diouf, an adult male who spent a couple of hours sleeping under the shade of a Saba vine "bush". As usual, Diouf stretched out on the ground rather than in the vines themselves or on a bigger limb as some of the chimps do. He is the largest chimp in the Fongoli community, so it was really endearing to see him playing a little with Aimee. A number of chimps came and went below the vines and, for awhile, Tia was lying next to Diouf, resting as well. Aimee, like most youngsters, could not be bothered to do anything as boring as sleeping, so she proceeded to play with whomever was nearby - including Diouf - or just by herself. Infants play quite a bit with their mothers as well, and it was something very special to see Tia and Aimee playing together when you think about the fact that the two were almost separated permanently, with Aimee probably spending her life in the zoo in Dakar.

But, it seems that both mother and daughter have recovered completely - at least physically - from the trauma of the dogs attacking Tia and Aimee, and Aimee's capture and 5 days in captivity (although the last few days were spent in the care of Johnny, which was surely much less stressful than the conditions he found her in). I can't look at either of them without thinking about what a miracle it was they the two were reunited. I also can't believe that I actually carried Aimee out to where the chimps were the day we were able to return her to Tia - as well as feeding her that morning.

Another nice scene below the Saba vines was Aimee playing with Mike - the adolescent male who retrieved her from where we set her down that day she was returned. Mike also carried Aimee for Tia that day and the next, when the group traveled at the end of the day and Tia could not keep up. At any rate, Tia and Aimee are even more special to us than they were before, and it will be a joy to follow Aimee as she grows up in the family she was born to. It was a great last day with the chimps before my 2-week absence from them!

Nightlife

2009-06-13T05:33:00.001-07:00

One of the apparently unique behaviors exhibited by the chimps at Fongoli is a tendency to move around, forage and even travel extensively at night - especially during the dry season during a full moon. Last night I spent the night out with the chimps and, as usual, they didn't disappoint! They settled down around 7 or 7:30pm, when it got dark. Lupin, an adult male, actually made himself comfortable in Lucille's (adult female) nest, so she had to expand her side of it, and he eventually had to expand his side. Lucille's infant, Sounkaro, was also in the nest, but Lucille's juvenile son, Lex, had to make his own to the side. Still, a nice cozy scene.

It seemed like it was going to rain (Finally! The rains are about a month late.). I was wondering what in the world I would do since my camping gear consisted of a throw-away rain poncho and my regular day pack. It didn't rain though, and the chimps were quiet until about 11pm when the moon rose. There was some moving around, but they really started being active when the moon was at its brightest. At about 3:30 am, Tia, an adult female who is currently in estrus, built a new night nest not far from me. Awhile later, an adult male came to "visit" (i.e., copulate) and then built himself a new nest a few meters away from her.

About 4:45 am, the chimps got really active: There was plenty of social interaction, including male displays. Another male came to "visit" Tia. And, a number of individuals ate ripe Saba fruit, which is one of their most important food sources. Around 5:20 a.m., everyone rested until it got light, which is around 6 am these days. At this time, Dondo Kante arrived with James Ewen, the National Geographic cinematographer who is filming the chimps this year. The chimps rested for the next hour, and I left to go back to the village to get some rest and go to town on some errands (I really don't sleep much at night when I'm out with the chimps - between worrying a little about hyenas to waking up to write anything the chimps do at night).

So, our apparently lethargic chimps (according to a manuscript that Paco Bertolani and I have just submitted, Fongoli chimps rest significantly more than chimps elsewhere), are really just not studied enough at night. Something we'll have to include more of in the future!

News story on Aimee and update on Tia

2009-03-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

The local news in Des Moines, KCCI, did a news story last night on the return of Aimee. Both Kelly Boyer and Dondo Kante report that Tia and Aimee are doing fine and that, in fact, Tia is cycling again. This is fairly rare - that a female with such a young infant begins cycling again. Tia began cycling before Aimee was captured by the hunters, so that incident had nothing to do with this resumption in receptivity. There was, similarly, a female at Mahale, Tanzania that began cycling again only 7 months following the birth of her infant. Females at Fongoli resume cycling (based on our small sample size so far...) more quickly than East African chimps and along the lines of what other West African studies have reported (Tai Forest, for example). Some interesting patterns...