Old People

So, 2013 kinda sucked but it was pretty amazing. Do you get what I mean by that? I mean there were good parts and bad parts.

In fact, the year of 2013 held my lowest point in life... And my absolute highest too!!! What!? Lol that's pretty cool I think. Should I list out some thank yous?... Or do you already know who you are? 

What the hecckk is gonna happen to me in 2014? Step 1: Make it home from Africa alive.

The chimps run around this little island of trees like they own the place. Jk, they do own it. The guides are so good at keeping track of them and predicting where they're going next! They always put possibilities into percentages. "90% sure they will come back before bed." "50% chance they will cross the road." Regardless of the probabilities.... We always wait for them.

I just can't believe the old lady chimps here. When they walk into the observation area, my jaw drops. They are so old. You can just SEE that they've seen so much. I see them walking around so slow and I feel like their bones seem alarmingly fragile... But 20 minutes later I will see them 30 meters high in a tree! They walk like severely old humans do; kind of hunched over and inflexibly. And a recent study showed that they groom each other with their faces further away from their partner's fur. Does that make sense? Ok, just imagine trying to show your parents a text message... They always shove the phone farther from their face so that they can see. Now do you get it? Lol these old ladies! 

Matsuzawa said these mats are why he has lasted doing this field work for 28 years. 

Two days ago a monstrous tourist vehicle showed up on our lawn with 23 white people, one Indian, and one Japanese on it. These people got out if the vehicle and started setting up camp. Their bustruck had "London-Cape Town-Cairo 40 Weeks" written on the side of it. Welcome to Guinea! Apparently Bossou has ended up on some tourist lists, so every once in a while a bus full of Europeans will pull up and dump their belongings in the front yard of our establishment.

Lol which is fine with me. I don't really care. But some of the people here HATE IT. I mean, it's less quiet now... And there are more people standing around the well. But these people bring money to the town and to our guides. The tourists will pay $100 each for 1 hour of chimp tracking (not 100% guaranteed to see chimps). Stop bring mad at ecotourism. 

However... Some weird things happen when these guys come in. A) White men always seem to think that taking off their shirt is appropriate. No one else in Africa is shirtless; just the white men. And B) The doorless outdoor shower is positioned in a way that when I emerged from the woods after work yesterday- all I could see was the pant-less & soapy bottom of a British man. 

As soon as these people got out of their van, an Australian dude got out a soccer ball to kick with a lone Guinean child. This action had the same effect as throwing a potato chip to a single bird on a beach does. As in, in about 20 seconds there were 400 Guinean children running around my winter home. Screaming and laughing. It was kinda cute... But I didn't understand how the guy was planning on getting his soccer ball back, lol. 

Last thing about the tourists... As they were packing up their things to leave yesterday, they all took turns gathering up the hoards of children for photographs. These photographs will become their Facebook banner photo that says, "Look! I went to Africa and saw a bunch of Black African children!" Cool dude, cool. I actually can't put into words what's weird about this... I've been thinking about it all day. "Objectify" keeps coming to my mind.

There are 4 other girls here. They just arrived back from the Nimba Mountains. They work up there for 10 days, then come back to rest for 5. They are trying to habituate a new group of chimps up there AKA trying to get the chimps unafraid of people. They are back now. And... The whole time they were gone I was trying to figure out why they made fun of Matsuzawa so much. I wanted to be on the Cool Team. But really... I can't figure it out. Matsuzawa is a well-mannered, organized, powerful, and reasonable man. And, he takes responsibility for his actions. AND- He is weird because he's old! Duh! Big deal! Young people get so caught up in old people's weirdness. LOOK PAST IT, losers. And if you do- you'll find that these people basically know everything. Old people were the original Google. 

More about how cool chimps are:

  The chimps here at Bossou get thirsty because it's kinda hot sometimes. But chimps don't have cups or bottled water. So instead, they need to drink rain water. OR the water that Matsuzawa puts into a hole in a tree at the outdoor laboratory. But omg, how do they get that water out from down inside the tree!? I'll tell you. 

   They use TOOLS. They just make a little tool to get the water out! Step 1) Look around for a large, sturdy leaf. Step 2) Yank the leaf from its branch. Step 3) Crunch leaf in mouth, but not too much. Step 4) Remove leaf from mouth and dip down into water hole! Step 5) Quickly transfer watery leaf to mouth.       REPEAT!

 The folds in the crunched leaf provide little spaces for water to be held. All of the chimps here do this.... Even the tiny 2 year old! Although, he usually grabs the old tools his momma just used, instead of making his own. This is a pretty neat sequence of events to watch. Quite impressive! 

Today I play soccer and tomorrow I will tell you about it. 

TCHAU, FEIAS!! xoxoxo

Some information about some topics.

First: Finally!!

My current situation is equivalent to FINALLY and out of NOWHERE being asked to dance by a random attractive stranger. After standing in the back of the room, in the dark, with no buddies... Someone approaches YOU. That happiness! Lol I can see my dad being like, "What?!! Who are you dancing with!?" 

No dancing! I was invited to play soccer! According to THIS formal invitation!!!

I don't know what all of the words say, but I do know that there is a women's soccer match for New Years and LEIGH ANNA is invited! And the other white girls here. I am so HAPPY. 

I think about jumping in and playing with those boys everyday. But I don't. I was starting to think I wouldn't be playing with them at all this winter. No one even knew I secretly wanted to dance! They just invited me!

But let's get back to reality. (Whoop! There goes gravity.) I am sitting in the forest. This particular forest is maybe 15 square kilometers... But we stay focused on the chimps' core range. This is about 6 square kilometers. This forest is completely cutoff from the rest of the forests in this area; 100% due to human impact. It's like an island. For this reason-  there are hardly any wild animals in this forest. Besides the 9 chimps we watch everyday. Other than that, I've seen birds and 3 squirrels. See why we had that "isolated chimp population" conference here?

So, I kinda lied. Bossou's forest isn't COMPLETELY cut off from other forests... Matsuzawa and his team have worked for YEARS to create a 'Green Corridor' that would connect our forest to another close to the Nimba Mountains. The team has planted thousands of trees in an effort to connect the forests... And it seems to be working well. However, they still have a long way to go.

All of these things have affected the chimps throughout the years. Up until 2003, there was a stable population of 19 chimps in Bossou's group. It was during that year that a flu epidemic (originating in the human population) took the lives of 5 chimps. 

In chimpanzee families, once a young female comes to age she leaves her natal group to live with a neighboring family. This positively affects the gene pool. So, before Bossou's forest was cutoff from the others- its chimp community was successfully mixing in with all the others due to female emigration! But now- that can't happen. 

Except, it kinda CAN happen. But it's a one-way street. Our female chimps can use the Green Corridor to move to other groups... But no other females are brave enough to come live in our group. This is because our group is so heavily mixed with humans! Our chimps see humans everyday, and have for 30 years! Our chimps are not scared of the passing cars, amplified voices, or musical celebrations reverberating from town! But, all of these things scare foreign chimps away from ever moving here. For this reason- there are only 9 chimps living in Matsuzawa's community. 

What do you think about this? 

Maybe the stilled gene pool contributed to Flanle's 6th finger on his right hand... Did I ever mention that!? 

What elseee.... 

Oh... We got mats for Christmas from Matsuzawa. 

(Notice the shade leaf I planted.)

"Is Leigh Anna getting paid to sleep all winter??" Uh, no. I'm not getting paid. AND- I probably have ant eggs in my ears from sleeping on the ground before this mat.

Things about things

"A quest is as much about the seeker as the sought." 

That awkward moment when your phone grabs onto the Liberian cell network.... 

Hi, guys! Hi, Future Leigh Anna! How are you? 

I'm hanging from a vine on Mont Gban contemplating life and our history as a species. Just kidding, I'm thinking about lunch. (But I promise I think about smart things too sometimes, Dad.) We've heard the chimps this morning... But they haven't come up to us for a snack yet this morning. 

I'm reading that book "The Follow" by Linda Spalding. Have you heard of it?? It's amazing...

At one point she describes the trees surrounding her as being "living columns." This line stopped me in my tracks. How true. I read that sentence from this very spot in the forest. My eyes shifted to the giant tree that acts as the centerpiece of our clearing. It has a thick trunk and a massive buttress with wide, extending roots. It's the tallest tree here at the tip-top of this hill and we sit under it for 10 hours a day. It's the living column that supports the canopy up above us... So I pictured us scientists under a circus tent: This tree in the middle holding up the tent canvas, us huddled together to the side with our cameras, and the chimps performing tricks with nuts and stones. "Step right up!" "Oooooo! Ahhhhhhh!"

I meant to tell y'all that we had a rat in our soup three days ago for lunch. Well, they* had a rat in their* soup. I was an innocent bystander eating a protein bar from Kroger. 

Matsuzawa is amazing every single day. I noticed his multicolored pen the very first day I met him... Because what full-grown man uses a multicolored pen?? This guy does. You know the kind I'm talking about, with the small black, blue, red, and green pull-down nobs on the side? Matsuzawa buys these pens in bulk I guarantee you. Lemme show you why:

This is Dr. Matsuzawa's "Activity Budget." Mentioning his pretty-colored paper was a loaded complement... He dove into explaining, clearly proud of his work. That picture above perfectly depicts every single thing Matsuzawa has done in the past three months. Color-coded and adjusted for travel time differences. Black is for sleeping, red for computer work, green for resting, dark green for forest time, and blue for social interactions. He even notates how many times he bushes his teeth each day (my favorite part). When he saw how honestly interested I was, he explained further. And further! On the next pages he has his "one-line diaries" for each day. Is this man a human being or not?... Because I don't even know if I should TRY to emulate. He's just beyond. He told me to try, of course. So I want to. 

Last night he told us that he is one of the very few people in the world to have met all three of Leakey's Angels. Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas, and Jane Goodall. These three girls were sponsored by Dr. Louis Leakey decades ago to study our closest living relatives- the mountain gorilla, the orangutan, and the chimpanzee respectively. Dr. Leakey believed that women were the best observers, so he gathered up three of the toughest ones to send out to the uncharted wilderness!! Girl power!

ANYWAYS- Matsuzawa has met all three of these ladies. The next logical question for me to ask was, "Who did you find to be the nicest?" He laughed and said without any hesitation, "Absolutely 100%- Jane Goodall!" OMG she is a saint! 

What else?... Hmmmmm....

Last night I drank the palm wine that Dr. Tatyana Humle warned me about. "If it's not sweet, don't drink it!" It was sweet, so I drank it. Also, Cat gave us chocolate for dessert and I almost cried tears of joy. Lol that's dramatic, I'm jk. I was happy. 

In my next post I will reveal why we only have 9 chimps in this forest. This will also explain why there aren't any other animals! Besides squirrels. I've seen like 3 squirrels since I've been here. 

Want some pics? 

The chimps were in the pretty tree on the side of the hill!

Such a cute couple! 

Christmas with the Chimps

I've never been homesick in my entire life until this Christmas Eve. 

A horrible Christmas. I never wanna choose science over family on Christmas again. 

I don't know if Santa Clause doesn't come to Guinea  or if I've just been bad this year. I'd say there's a 75% chance that both of those guesses are right.  

But let's move on!! 

My momma told me I should talk more about the chimpanzees. Less Beyonce, more chimps. Got it!

First let's talk about how we did not evolve from chimps. We share a common ancestor with chimps- just like we share a common ancestor with the ant I just flicked off my shirt (gently). 

Also, chimpanzees are not monkeys. Chimps, gorillas, orangutans, and humans are all apes. Monkeys are those cute little babies with tails. Apes don't have tails. Monkeys and apes are both primates. I'm quizzing all of you when I get back.

The chimps here crack nuts with stones. That's the whole point of this field site. We consider this non-human tool use. The chimp will pick two stones- one to use as a hammer and one to use as a hard surface to crack on. Aka- an anvil. So, once the chimpy has grabbed her hammer and anvil, she will crack nuts! We watch them all crack nuts from behind the palm frond wall I mentioned in an earlier post. Last time I counted, a grown male chimp ate 52 nuts in one sitting! 

As soon as the chimps are full, they leave us.  That's when we start waiting for them to be hungry again. However, it is not guaranteed that the group will return! The chimps eat all kinds of other food around here, including figs, leaves, and maybe even meat! Meat is rare though... So I definitely don't have my hopes up about getting to see that. 

Chimpanzees are cavemen, like I've said before. They like to grunt and hit each other as well as nap and use stone tools. The 7 year old likes to throw rocks at other chimps. I think those are all very cavemen-like activities. 

Before recently, there hasn't been much crazy social behavior. However, starting yesterday, there has been a lot of drama! GUESS WHY. It's really exciting! One of the old ladies is in estrus now!!!!!! This is actually really weird to see because the lady is very, very old. She is about 45 or 50. She's had 10 kids. But, to each his own!

So with this estrus, comes drama. Like I said. The two boys were running around today hooting an hollering. The others are just trying to stay out of the way. Like me. The lady can't even help causing such a ruckus because the boys can SEE that she is fertile. It's not like they heard through the grapevine that Jire was ovulating. They can SEE it and KNOW! How embarrassing, lol. A female chimp's rump will become pink and swollen when she enters this stage in her cycle. The boys find this pinkness very attractive!! The boys will sniff and poke and follow a pink female around. Meanwhile I KNOW Jire is saying, "Jeje, STOP- I'm your mother! Plus I've already had enough of you wild children! Give me a break, boys!" 

The boys try to show how strong they are by running, jumping, shaking branches, and picking up heavy items. Boys are so weird.

Luckily for me and not for Jire, she is only at the very beginning stages of the whole ordeal. She has a few more days to go... And these coming days will be even more fun! Draaaammaaaa. "These are the Days of Her Estrus"

When the chimps sleep on their backs they hold one foot with one hand, ok? I don't know why. It's very cute. 

I like watching them groom each other. It makes me wanna be groomed. It's sweet! This chimp group is basically just a dysfunctional human family; they fight and yell at each other, but if Foaf sees that Jeje  has an ant on him, he's gonna help him get it off. That's the foundation of family. 

Yesterday we watched the chimps climb in a huge fig tree. HUGE fig tree. The tree was bigger than any I saw in Brazil. And, it was hanging off the side of this mountain we're on! The sky was blue and crystal clear. Guinean Christmas music from the village was blaring in the background. It blew my mind that those heavy apes could climb so high in that tree. It blew my mind that those 50 year old ladies could climb that high too! I'm currently picturing my grandmas sitting up there on those branches eating figs... Omg. "NANNY! MOMMIE! HOLD ON! THE HELICOPTER IS ON ITS WAY!" 

The sight was beautiful. Unlike the little kitty monkeys I was struggling to keep my eyes on high in the trees this summer, these massive pitch-black apes were incredibly easy to spot in the tree tops. Especially against that sky. Idk, it was just a cool sight. 

I feel so spoiled for being upset all day yesterday after getting to see that... I can't help it... I wanted to feast with my family too! Christmas! 

Me and Mont Gban, the mountain we climb everyday. This is the view from the village. 

What I spent Christmas doing. 

You can email me things if you want to. Lyoung40@uga.edu

Frog Soup for the Vegetarian's Soul

Here are some random tidbits of info that have no single overarching theme. 

Market day is on Wednesday. I'm extremely excited to visit this market!!!!! Even cooler- it's not gonna be closed for Christmas! That means we get to go there as a Christmas special occasion. 

We have to ask our "housekeeper" guy to pick up food items for us in town on most days because we are in the forrest for 11 hours of daylight... Loaves of bread cost 25 cent. If I bring that receipt to Walmart, will they pay me the difference? Just curious.

All of the people that were here for the workshop conference are now gone as of yesterday morning. Thanks be to Lord Santa because there were just TOO MANY people. PLUS- I get my own room now! What am I gonna do with a whole queen-size bed to myself!? I also got to unpack all my items and set them up all organized on a nice shelf. This was so fun. I really like having all my things spread out and organized. Routine <3. 

I have heard there are comments below... But I can't use my limited internet to load them! Please feel free to comment only blogs though! I really can't wait to read what you think!!!

Today I will be testing out my first draft data collection sheets! I feel cool... I did this junk all by myself. Lol and the chimps are going to be so aggravated with me because I moved away all their favorite stones and gave them awful ones instead! Sorry not sorry. 

This Beyonce album is more than just a few collaborations. These are SERIOUS. The collab with Drake isn't just a verse feature... It's a deep musical collaboration with Drake and his team. That's Sampha's voice in there. That's a mutual shoutout to one of the biggest themes in "Nothing was the Same."  I can't wait to dig deeper into this album. 

I may have already told you this, but stressing this point couldn't hurt. The villagers don't harm the chimpanzees in this area because they believe the chimps are reincarnations of their ancestors. This is a rare case of perfectly stable coexistence between humans and chimps. In addition, the relationship that Matsuzawa and his project has made with the village is exceptional. The project has built schools, provided medical care, created stable income opportunities for villagers, and installed toilets in the homes of many to improve sanitation. This is how you do it. Having a stable relationship with the local community is a KEY to conservation! 

One cool thing about every place that I've ever been to is how important SOCCER is! Playing soccer is so important. All you need is a ball! In between our research station and the village is a huge, square, semi-flat plot of land set aside for this purpose alone! Every single day the young boys of the village get out in the dirt to play the world's sport. The beautiful game. The makeshift goal posts here are constructed slightly differently than those I saw in rural Brazil. Woooooohoooooo!!!! I wanna play....! 

Yesterday as we walked into the observation area as the chimps left, Cat said, "Ahhh :-) I love the smell of chimps." I was totally shocked when I heard this, "Oh! That's what this smell is?!" I had smelled it here before... But I never realized it was coming from the chimpanzees. I kinda liked the smell too! It's funny, I always compare the 7 year old chimp, Flanle, to my little brothers... But I'll tell ya- Flanle doesn't smell as bad! (Moment of silence in remembrance  of when all our little brothers hit puberty. #ThisTooShallPass)

ProTip: When visiting areas of the world where people eat rice and beans a LOT, be prepared for this steady diet by bringing from home packets of fajita/taco seasoning powder! (The things you learn by hanging out with people older than you: Priceless.)

There is a bird here that sounds a little like the Hogwarts theme song... Miss you, Olivia! Don't forget- Orbit and Ag Hill will take you to and from biology!!!!

We are in the woods now waiting for the chimpy babies to arrive. I think Matsuzawa is asleep by that tree trunk... But I can't see. I just know he hasn't said a word in an hour.

Oh, last night was pretty cool because it was only me, Cat, and Matsuzawa eating dinner. We got to talk with him and hear some personal stories about when he first met his famous chimps in Kyoto. In the woods yesterday I asked if Santa Clause came to Guinea. Lol he really thought that was funny. I was being dead serious though because I need presents.

OMG, I almost forgot to tell y'all about the frog soup. Have you ever been cooking a plain, boring vegetarian soup? While cooking that soup, did you ever step outside for a breath of fresh air? Maybe while you were freshly breathing outside you spot out the corner of your eye a cute frog hopping. Did you then decide, hey- I should catch that, cut all its limbs off, and toss all the body parts into my cooking soup!!! 

(I woulda just ran over to take the frog's picture for Instagram.)

#SoupWildlife

Don't even ask me if I ate it or not. Just make an educated guess. 

Merry Christmas Eve, sugars!! I wish I were playing with my sisters and family and eating cookies and hanging stockings. Miss y'all. 

Cold water and chimp dung

It just so happens that I can allow myself one new Beyonce video per night! Glory Bey to Thee!! I just sat down to write up a schedule because I thought I was going to has to limit myself... lol but uh no, there are plenty. Rejoice! 

-----......-----.......

It's been about two hours since I wrote that paragraph above. Tonight I got to watch the "Flawless" video. GOOSEBUMPS. Amazing. Beyonce is the best female pop artist there ever was or ever will be. I'm close to putting her on Michael Jackson's level. That video/song is so HARD. So feministic. So strong and inspiring. Y'all already know that Rihanna is my girl. But, let's be real- RiRi better not get it twisted. 

Secret about Leigh Anna: She LOVES pop culture. She loves what it does to us. 

LET'S MOVE ON.

Why don't we talk about what I do on a daily basis! Keep in mind, I've only been here for a few days.

I wake up at 6:00am so that I can be ready at precisely 6:30am to walk up a mountain. Don't forget to pack the snacks! I actually pack my bag and get ready for the next day as soon as I get back from the day's work. This eliminates forgetting most things!

It is pitch black dark and -400 degrees when I wake up. Headlamp: ON. 

I keep a large water bottle filled with water next to my bed so that I can brush my teeth and take my supplements. We also have to keep that toilet bucket of water filled... A total hassle! 

I usually eat a large piece of French bread for breakfast. I will dip it in peanut butter (thanks Anne!) or eat it with a banana. Tell my sweet dietician that there is no need to worry about my potassium levels; I eat bananas alllllll day. 

Then, I gear up and head out! We usually have about 5 or so guides with us. They lead us up the mountain. I'll be honest- I've been struggling with that mountain. Some of you with large lung capacities may call it a hill >>. Anyways, we climb it. The past two days, we've had to RUSH up it because halfway up we heard the chimps! That means they're close! We have to set up all the cameras and make sure they have enough nuts/water! Quick! I definitely break a sweat.

If we know the chimpanzees are close, we will quickly set up and man our posts along the palm frond wall. If we're not too sure where the chimps are, we will set up and sit down by our respective trees. Today, a guide cut down two palm fronds for me to lay down on my sitting area. This was a major upgrade that significantly reduced the amount of dirt I wallowed in. Thanks! 

Here we will sit for hours. I'm not kidding. HOURS. I usually talk Cat's head off or ask her millions of questions about academia/primates. I've been writing blogs and reading a lot too. (OH- you're curious about what I'm reading? I'll tell you! I'm reading a book written [partially] by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama called, "My Spiritual Journey!") Maybe a quick French or Manon lesson. Or one time I napped. But basically, we just wait until the chimps come to us. But have no fear! They DO come! And when they do- we get up to investigate! I don't have a camera, so I merely observe the cavemen. The others film specific aspects of their behavior from different angles. It isn't anything crazy. I just keep an eye out for cool stone manipulations. I always pray that the babies will show up!

Sometimes when the chimps enter or exit the observation area, the alpha male, Jeje, will walk RIGHT BEHIND US. With no care. He just walks straight through our little clearing. I have to get sneaky to take pictures of him doing this... We aren't allowed to look straight at him. Probably because he will feel frightened and then eat us. Blah.

We may hear on the walkie-talkies that the chimps are heading towards the salon! In this case- we pack up and RUN down the mountain to beat them there! I like going down the mountain fast. It's kind of like Temple Run. Except, this is real life and ankle fractures are a serious threat in real life. 

Most days we head home at around 5pm. When we get home- I go straight to the snacks aka bananas. Then, we upload videos or transfer notes or whatever other business. I try to shower before I cool off... Otherwise- the chilling ground water from the washing bucket will freeze your heart solid. Ouch. ProTip: Breathe all of the air out of your lungs before pouring the cold water onto your body. This greatly reduces the pain and whimpering.

Like I said, I like to pack up my bag for the next day at this time. Then- free time! Then, a not-so-tasty supper :-/. Whatever. Maria, te amo. 

THEN I LAY DOWN, YA'LL! This has turned into such a boring post. Oh my gosh. It's 8:39pm and I've been in bed since 8:00. Who cares? What else do I have to do!? Stalk you guys on Instagram like usual?? NO! I can't waste my precious internet on that! 

"Leigh Anna... What!? You have Internet?!"

Oops!? Did I say that? Ugh. Fine. I have a tiny bit of Internet. It's reserved for blogs, though. So don't expect me to poke you back on the Facebook. 

Quick shoutout to my boy Jacob who better be doing 100+ push-ups in his bed whilst sleeping every single night. OOO KILL EM! 

Aside: Tomorrow is my last day of Flaming Hot Cheetos... I'm so sad. I'm also impressed with myself for letting them last this long! I bet Olivia couldn't do that...!! Ha! 

Today I saw a dung beetle. I told two of my best friends that I would cry if I saw a dung beetle here. I didn't cry because Cat was right there... But just know that I was so joyful. I didn't get to see him rolling the chimp dung across the way, but I still did see him! I have pics. 

CHIMPANZEES

"Ok, Leigh Anna! Shut up already! We want to hear about the chimps!!!!"

Oh! My bad :-). Lemme tell you about some chimps I've met.

There are 9. ONLY NINE! Three were lost in September... And no one knows where they are...

Fana was probably born around 1956. She has a huge son named Foaf who is 10 years older than me. Foaf used to be the alpha male. Fana also has a daughter named Fanle. Fanle has two sons- Flanle and Fanwa. Flanle is 7... And he is a little RASCAL! Fanwa is a little over 2 years old.... Oh lord have mercy he is SO ADORABLE. I want to hold him and love him. But he is completely dependent on and attached to his mother. Also, we aren't allowed to snuggle the chimps. Jire was born around 1958 and has a big 12 year old son name Jeje. Jeje is the alpha male!! Velu and Yo are the two old ladies. They were born in 1959 and 1961 respectively. I have yet to see these two ladies.

They have two outdoor "laboratories" here in Bossou. One is a flat 5 minute walk from home and is called the Salon. The Salon is great because it is extra natural. The water hole in the tree is natural, and there are palm trees hovering above that would be providing nuts anyway. Plus, you can witness 4 different types of tool use there- nut cracking, water scooping, pestle pounding, and possibly ant dipping! The other site is a (tough) 20 minute hike up a mountain. This is the most popular site for the chimps to come to. It's called the Bureau. I'm there now! The Bureau is smack-dab in the middle of the chimps' territory; an ideal location for secret experiments! Typically, we will wait at either of these locations behind a makeshift palm frond wall for the chimps to stroll on up and start crackin'!

The first time I ever saw wild chimps was about two days ago. We were at the Salon. Lots of conference attendees were with us. I had my new binoculars out. And we waited. 40 minutes went by.... And then- BOOM! Seven chimps walked in! I peaked through my hole in the palm wall with my binoculars to see their faces up close. Magnificent! They the nuts were scattered in piles in the bare-soil area we made for them. Cautiously, they all came out into the open. 

They were so much bigger than all my capuchin friends! And slower! Their grunts and pant-hoots are wild. Chimpanzees are literally cavemen. Not the Geiko commercial fake-cavemen. REAL cavemen. The way they chose their stone tools was prehistoric. The way they used their tools was ancient. Such a wild site! 

Flanle, the 7 year old boy, was raising a ruckus. He was being so obnoxious! But not really, lol, he just wanted to play! He would run up to an adult and pretend to throw a rock at them! Then, he actually DID throw a rock at an adult! I thought it was so amazing that the grown ups would actually get up and leave their nuts to pretend to chase Flanle around. They would walk, and Flanle would run away! Never did they actually get upset with the young boy. The atmosphere was so relaxed.

Fanwa, the little infant, was constantly clinging to his mother. It was such a cute sight to see. Sometimes he would walk a few steps away... Jump around a little bit... And then run right back to his momma. One time, as his mother was cracking nuts, little Fanwa stood up on his two feet and began to swing his left arm up and down so fast! As if he were cracking nuts! With no stones or nuts, of course.... But still, I wondered if he was mimicking his mother. I wish I had good video of this. Maybe Cat does! 

One fun fact about these crackin' chimps is that they all prefer a certain hand to crack with. The chimps here have been almost 50% left-handed and 50% right-handed. And there is no correlation between a mother and her baby's preferred hand! And in fact, some of the grown ups have actually had to switch hands throughout the years due to injuries! This switch seems to be seamless and therefore demonstrates one of the many differences between us and them! 

So far, I have seen the chimps crack no more than 5 times. And every time, they have finished all of the nuts we gave them! That's about 60 nuts per chimp! I think if Jatoba, our alpha capuchin in Brazil, ate 60 nuts... His little belly would burst. 

When the chimps aren't here- we just wait. This is much easier than our work this summer. The guides nap. And I read/write.

Ok, I'll be honest. I napped in the forest yesterday. This is funny because one day Allison and I agreed that "we don't sleep in the woods." That's actually only what I THOUGHT she said. She actually said that she "can't sleep in the woods." Well, regardless- I can and I will. 

My internet is extremely limited. Please bare with me. Love you all.