Relativity

After being around bonobos for a month, it was a bit of a shock to show up at tchimpounga. I had the same sensation last year when we went the other direction. Consistent with their physique, there is something inherently hardy about chimpanzee personalities. They're built tough from the inside out.


But the most immediately shocking thing about getting to tchimpounga was simply the intimidating presence of a chimp compared to a bonobo. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't choose to spend much time alone with an adult bonobo, but I literally have nightmares about finding myself in the forest alone with one of these dudes.


On top of being all muscles and pretty sizable, chimps are experts at presenting themselves in the most intimidating manner possible. Bonobos display a little but its kind of like watching a dance. its cute, it gets your attention, but thats about it. You feel like you should tip them when they're done or something. When chimps display they become completely piloerect (hair on ends) and they suddenly look about twice their size. Then the screaming and banging starts and its kind of like seeing one of those cartoons of a tazmanian devil. At the end of the day the big guys all gather outside their dorm and wait for the doors to open giving them access to the piles of food waiting inside.

I like to watch from the other side of the dorm. These are all palm nuts on the floor but the good stuff is on the platforms to the left. Dominants claim those pretty quickly while the others grab what they can while staying out of the way.


If you read this blog last year, you remember my friend Gregoire. He passed away during the night around christmas last year, 66 years young. It was really sad to hear the news but his story will always be heartwarming. He is survived by his longtime pal Lavielle. The two of them never interacted much but always lived together and had a silent kind of bond. When the keepers removed gregoire's lifeless body, Lavielle did everything she could to fight them off.


LaVielle is still herself, and has picked up gregoires old habit of begging for food with a trash can lid. She hasn't mastered it yet. Gregoire would always waddle down the walkway dodging low hanging branches as he approached. Lavielle mostly leaves the lid by the enclosures edge and pushes it forward a few inches hopefully as people carrying food pass by. Anyways, Lavielle's new friend is named nick. He's a cat. He keeps her company during the day and apparently the two actually have somewhat of a rapport.