In honor of Jane, he was aptly named Goodali. What a spectacular bit of fortune it was that after all of these years, she gave birth to this new little one when Jane and I were both here. Golden and Glitter have turned out to be two of the longest surviving twins in the wild in the whole world. In 1993 I watched (and filmed) Gremlin giving birth to Gaia, and five years later I watched with Jane as Gremlin introduced the twins Golden and Glitter to the community. Over the past 27 years, I have probably spent more time with Gremlin and her family members than any other family in Gombe. that at nearly 50 years old, she had a new baby! The ‘G Family’ of Gombe Chimpanzees It took us just a few minutes to find her, and we were delighted to see…. The ‘G’ and ‘F Families’ have been documented for 60 continuous years – beginning with Jane’s own research – which has allowed us to not only track lineages but also what we call ‘narrative research’ over many generations. We moved up the valley together and learned from one of the skilled park guides that Gremlin, the elder female of the ‘G Family’ of chimpanzees, had been seen up the valley near the Dell. Kamenya received his PhD studying the Red Colobus of Gombe, seeing these monkeys with him was even more meaningful. Lilian has helped shape how JGI uses technology and maps to understand threats to chimpanzees and their habitats, working with local communities to establish forest reserves and monitor things like encroachment. It is wonderful to spend time in the forest with both of these brilliant minds. While watching these incredible monkeys, I was lucky enough to bump into Shadrack Kamenya and Lillian Pintea, JGI’s vp of conservation science (two of our true science heroes at JGI). In this case, 45 minutes later I was still with them, having the time of my life trying to capture high speed shots of the monkeys leaping out of the tree. Though I almost always stay longer than a few quick shots, I seldom regret my decision. Do I leave and possibly miss a rare opportunity to record excellent Colobus behavior? Or am I missing something up ahead? I usually convince myself to grab ‘a few quick shots’ and take my chances with what I might miss. Though I really wanted to find chimpanzees, having a chance to get film footage of a open tree with nearly 20 monkeys in it was too much to resist. I quietly worked my way up the valley, and was happy the find a tree absolutely packed full of Red Colobus Monkeys. To spend time with her in this sacred spot, where she discovered truths about great apes and humans that forever changed history, is simply beyond words.Īfter listening to her delightful story about two tourists who traveled 200km just to meet her, I set out on the south side of Kakombe Stream. Being in Gombe with Jane is quite surreal, and amazing things seem to happen when she is here. I have known her for 30 years, and the awe and wonder of who she is and what she has done has never faded. I had hopes of spending the day with them, observing their behaviors. I woke early with excitement with a plan to search for the chimpanzee Gremlin and her daughters in Kakombe Valley. 60 years later, it is still one of the most incredible places on Earth.Īugwas one of those perfect days. Jane Goodall first came to know and understand the wild chimpanzees of Gombe. At dawn, a chorus of birds blends with the soft sound of waves lapping at the pebbly shoreline and crickets chirping. It is a dream in itself to sleep on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Western Tanzania. Isn’t it wonderful when all the stars align? On days like this, from the moment you wake up, the day just keeps getting better and better.
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