National Geographic: Among the Wild Chimpanzees Page #6

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eight times more water

than with fingers alone

Inherently curious, youngsters like

Fifi learn from older chimps

and thus the technique

is passed on

Baboons at Gombe outnumber

the chimps by about four to one

For the most part

the two species coexist peacefully

But the baboon is a competitor for

food and friction can arise

Because he has the intelligence

to use a weapon

yet another type of tool even a youngster

can intimidate a fully grown male

The bluff works but

as Jane would find out

sometimes the aggression

is very real

A young baboon has been captured

and killed by a group of chimps

and they will feast on its remains

Jane's discovery astounded the

scientific world

the chimp is not the gentle

vegetarian we had thought

but, like humans,

a formidable predator

Sometimes cooperating to

hunt and stalk their prey

they also kill young antelope

bushpigs, and monkeys

For the most part chimps eat meat

only they themselves have killed

Indeed, a dead animal is

often a puzzling sight

With Gombe's growing fame

visiting students and scientists

became a regular part of the scene

One day, as part of a project

to record chimpanzee calls

Jane put out bananas in great quantities

The result -

an eruption of frenzied excitement

desperate begging,

and violent aggression

Because of the excessive

hostilities aroused

Jane disapproved of such

human intervention

But the episode was not

without value

revealing the intricate patterns of

chimpanzee dominance and submission

and the chimps' intense need for

reassurance by touch

The sounds of the encounter were

carefully analyzed by students

specializing in chimp vocalization

With the passing years

Gombe drew students from around

the world with interests ranging from

biology to communication

to psychology

They came because of Jane

and the unique opportunities

of the living laboratory

she created here

To avoid future aggression

over bananas

Jane devised a system of rationing

by remote control

Now the chimps were fed only if they

arrived alone or in small groups

and then just once in ten days

Apparently not happy with

this new state of affairs

the ever-creative chimps

made their wishes known

The chimps' presence in camp provided

an opportunity for experiments

not possible in the forest

How would they react to

something new?

All chimpanzees are intensely curious

but often afraid of the unfamiliar

For the first time, Flint attempts

the typical male intimidation display

pulling vegetation and stamping

Later Jane put out a mirror

It was clearly a fascinating mystery

In retrospect,

Jane will say that had she known

her study would continue indefinitely

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