Today was my first official chimp tracking day with the primary objective of collecting fresh faecal samples for DNA analysis. We heard them calling in the valleys below us last night so we had a rough idea on where to start this morning. We were up at 5:30 so we could be get to the look out before sunrise (6:30). From the lookout we waited to hear them as they woke up and low and behold they rewarded our patience with a brief shouting match. Now we knew what direction to start walking in. An hour later I noticed a dark shape across the valley. At first I thought it was just a log but I decided not to risk it. I got out the binoculars and peered through them. I was greeted by with not one but two faces! It was a female chimp and her young offspring. They were staring straight at me (probably 50m away). Luckily I got out the camera just in time before they disappeared back into the deep forest. My first chimp sighting! And also the first photographs to our knowledge of these chimpanzees. They are extremely shy and take off into the forest at the slightest of provocation. Therefore the photos I have are quite grainy as they are from a considerable distance in the poor light of the early hours! But hey, my first chimps!
Later that day we managed to catch sight of a group of 9 chimps in the trees feeding and so watched them for a good hour or two before going over to collect their output. They are truly weird animals. So human (a bit cliché but it really did surprise me).
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| Female chimp with infant |
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| A log with two faces! |
We also saw today what we think (I think) was a banded water cobra. Cooooool.
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| The back end of a Banded water cobra |
Students left this morning so im back in my bed at last! No longer do I have to suffer Alex’s snoring and odours.
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