National Geographic: Among the Wild Chimpanzees Page #3

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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

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