Day 2: Feeding in the Upper Valleys
| Date: | July 1, 1974 |
| Start: | 07:06 (nest) |
| Finish: | 19:30 (nest) |
| Duration: | 12 hr. 24 min. |
| Observers: | Curt Busse and Petro Leo |
“During the second year of Figan’s reign two of the students — David Riss and Curt Busse — asked me if they could follow Figan, monitor his movements, behaviour, and relationships with other chimpanzees, for fifty consecutive days. I was not sure … but there was a precedent — six years earlier Flo had been followed for sixteen days in an attempt to witness the birth of her last infant. Flo had not appeared to mind at all, and Figan was as tolerant of humans as she was. And so I agreed — on condition that the follow be called off if Figan became upset.” — Jane Goodall
Through a Window: MyThirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe, 1990, pp.57-58.
Curt’s Report: Upon our arrival at the nests, Faben sounded very sick and vomited several times as far as I could tell – perhaps from yesterday’s meat? He seemed to be alright as he and Figan fed on budyankende in Upper Linda after un-nesting at 0706. Figan and Faben each displayed once in apparent communication as they drifted apart during feeding. Figan and Faben fed very far apart and they magically came together as they emerged into the mshai fields at 0820. Patti fed nearby as did Sprout and the strange mother-infant [Harmony and Beethoven], who were about 70 m uphill, perhaps in fear of us. Figan and Faben copulated with Patti during feeding on mshai. Patti once did a brief, funny, hair-out, stamp on a tree trunk during feeding.
At 1002 Faben then Figan moved uphill, both hair-out in the direction of the strange mother-infant and Sprout. Over the next 10 minutes Figan and Faben chased the mother-infant pair several hundred meters south across the Upper Linda grasslands. They displayed nine times during this incident.
Petro Leo
A colobus monkey troop was nearby at the Linda stream but Figan and Faben paid little attention. Miff and Moeza showed up briefly during budyankende feeding and reappeared an hour later at the Linda-Kasakela ridge. Figan groomed sporadically with Miff and Faben on the ridge for 1 1/2 hours. Michaelmas played briefly on Figan as Figan groomed with Miff. As the group moved off Michaelmas rode dorsal on Faben for 20 m during travel down the ridge. Faben never went bipedal and Michaelmas really seemed to enjoy the ride (my impression).
Figan briefly displayed into Upper Kasakela and the group fed on mshai. Figan left Faben, Miff, and Moeza as he traveled into Upper Kasakela for mshai. He rejoined Miff and Moeza at Linda Peak for kifumbe. Figan and Miff approached the kifumbe trees on Linda Peak with great caution. Half hour later a buffalo was heard galloping off on Linda Peak. Figan looked carefully and changed trees for a better vantage point.
Ten-month-old Michaelmas with his mother Miff. 
Figan traveled to the lower Linda-Kasakela ridge for msongati, but he took a very circuitous route around Linda Peak as if he were avoiding the buffalo. Miff and Moeza followed Figan then left during msongati feeding. Figan fed for 1 1/2 hours and at 1858 he streaked down to the Lower Kasakela stream. Figan did a pant-hoot-drum display at AK7 then fed on mtobogoro before nesting alone in Lower Kasakela in the darkness at 1930.
Nesting Details: Figan had been feeding alone on msongati near Linda Peak at 1858 when he streaked down to the AK7 streambed. He pant-hoot-drum displayed at the streambed and then traveled down the streambed to an mtobogoro tree near the main branch. After 15 minutes of feeding, Figan traveled 50 m to the other side of Kasakela stream. Immediately he went into a tree and started nest-building in what was apparently an old chimp nest. By this time it had become considerably dark and a flashlight was needed to follow Figan. Figan rested in his nest at 1930 and then rapid-grunted.
