Why Are Chimps Important?

I've learned quite a bit about chimpanzees and their importance to humans while working on this project. Some of the stories about chimps told by the para-biologists and villagers are incredible! The latest story I heard was that chimps are liked by pastoralists (cattle owners) because when a cow is about to give birth, if chimps are nearby,they will "notify" a nearby village by making loud vocalizations that attract the attention of villagers. They also stay near the cow until humans come to protect it while its at its most vulnerable state. I also heard a story about how a male chimp literally jumped in front of a female to protect her from a hunter who was aiming his gun at her. Chimpanzees are 98.4% the same as humans. They have emotions similar to our own and use tools for gathering food. They are important to the health and survival of forests as they disperse tree seeds and help in forest regeneration. They are also an indicator species of habitat health. Today, the chimpanzee population is in the thousands and threat of extinction is real! They are only found in Africa and Guinea has one of the highest populations of wild chimps but this means only a couple thousand exist. It is difficult to estimate entire populations of chimps as they are not static animals but it is clear that they are severly threatened due to loss of habitat (farming and forest fires from slash and burn agriculture practices), capture for sale to foreigners (both for zoos, scientific purposes and also for pets) and the bushmeat trade.

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!!!