Knowing where chimps exist is based on what they leave behind, notably nests, dung, and knuckle prints. Chimps build new nests every night out of leaves and branches that they place in trees. The picture at right is of a day old nest. My guide was one of the para-biologists. He took me on his motorcycle deep into the bush to try and see chimps. Its very difficult to actually see them as they are very weary of humans and can detect them coming from a long way off. We rode on the motorcylce for about an hour on tiny goat tracks with major crevices and holes and tried to avoid as many branches as we could. I am not the best bicycle or motorcylce rider and so i was definitely a bit out of my comfort zone but we finally arrived at the base of a mountain and began our search. After two hours of climbing up and down steep slopes of two mountains, we saw at least 15 nests and some prints but no chimps. As the sun was starting to set, my guide needed to pray and so we left the forest and headed back to the village. Most of Guinea's population is muslim and so they must pray five times a day, starting at around 6 am as the sun rises and ending at around 7 pm as the sun sets.
As we arrived in the small village at the base of the mountain, we were informed that chimps had just been heard on the third mountain over. So at least I was in their midst!!! I'm going to keep trying but I think the best way to see them will be to camp out in the mountain for a few days near a water source or near fruit trees. It is currently mango season and about 75% of trees here are mango trees due to the fact that villagers protect them as they are an important food source. Chimps love to eat mangos too so its a good time to try to find them by hanging out by mango trees. I can't tell you how many mangos I've eaten but let's just say a lot! They are so abundant they're literally rotting on the side of the road. Everyone and their grand mother is selling them, eating them, carrying them in bowls on top of their heads.
Fruit gathering, as well as water and firewood gathering is primarily a female activity, as is child carrying! Little girls care for their younger siblings and are seen clutching them to their backs usually wrapped around by cloth. There are children everywhere and how they love to have their photos taken, especially when they realize I have a digital camera and that they can then see themselves. The photo blog will be next!!!