Day 41: Chimps find Muhasha Leaves
| Date: | August 9, 1974 |
| Start: | 06:19 (nest) |
| Finish: | 20:09 (nest) |
| Duration: | 13 hr. 50 min. |
| Observers: | Curt Busse and Rugema Bambaganya |
Curt’s Report. Figan pulled a classic maneuver this morning as he and Patti un-nested upon our arrival at 0619. Figan traveled by moonlight straight back to Kakombe, pant-hoot-drum displaying three times during travel, and feeding on ngazi before entering Camp. Pom pant-grunted, approached, close-faced, dabbed, and avoided as Figan arm-threatened her. Faben arrived in Camp a few minutes later and there was no response. Figan and Patti traveled to the Mess where they fed on mumanda and masagoro before Figan returned to Camp to get bananas. Later Winkle and Wilkie arrived and Wilkie played on Figan and with Figan’s toes as Figan rested for ½ hour (photo, below). Gigi, Goblin, and Sherry entered Camp at various times.
Passion’s daughter, Pom (age 9 ), sits in camp. 
At 1117 there were vocalizations from KK2. Sherry with hair-out rushed towards Figan who put hair-out and squeaked. Figan, Sherry, Goblin, and Winkle then traveled to lower KK2 where they met Humphrey and Melissa. Sherry bobbed once to Figan during travel. Humphrey descended an ngazi tree, was submissive to Figan, and they then groomed for an hour. Figan then climbed Humphrey’s ngazi tree and fed for ½ hour before Faben arrived. Figan groomed briefly with Faben and again with Humphrey before resting for an hour. During this time Wilkie lone-played on Figan’s ventral; Figan responded gently to Wilkie a few times. He then groomed for another hour with Humphrey. Figan, Faben, and Humphrey finally traveled up Meat Ridge and did four pant-hoot-displays before going into a tree to feed on majani.
Figan and Wilkie (age 2). Wilkie would go on to sire at least 10 offspring.
Satan and Patti arrived then stayed behind as Figan, Humphrey, and Faben traveled to upper KK3 where they met a colobus troop. A brief unsuccessful hunt (see Predation Report) was broken up upon Sparrow’s noisy arrival. The chimps then traveled 30 m up to the Meat Ridge path where they went berserk for the next 3 hours upon discovering muhasha, a sticky vine which was growing all over Upper KK3. There were four rounds of pant-hoots as they started feeding. Over the next three hours many chimps arrived including Mike, Hugo, Goblin, Mustard, Nope, Athena, Atlas, Patti, Winkle, Gigi, Gilka, and Dove.
Dove and her infant Dominic were a peripheral mother-infant pair that never let us get very close. The photo is from thick woodland in upper KK3.
The colobus troop was never any farther than 100 m as the chimps fed. There were several interesting ASR interactions during feeding. Mike and Faben mutually presented and touched rumps. Winkle pant-grunted and approached Figan who had a full-open-grin as he embraced and groomed her. The group was very loud especially in the beginning with many pant-hoots and food-grunts. Figan fed until darkness at 1919 and then waited on the ground for the others. At 1932 Humphrey initiated and Figan, Faben, Gigi, and Goblin followed him into the KK3 korongo near the colobus troop. We temporarily lost Figan who displayed three times in the korongo. Figan was the last to nest at 2009 after having used the light from my flashlight to find his way to the nesting tree. This follow of almost 14 hours certainly ranks as one of the longest ever.
ASR Details. Following the predation attempt, as the chimps discovered the food muhasha, there were several interesting ASR interactions. Sparrow had interrupted the predation attempt with her loud pant-bobbing which drew the attention of Faben and Humphrey. Figan then gave up the predation attempt and followed Faben, Humphrey, and Sparrow to the nearby muhasha. Many chimps arrived to feed on muhasha as the group was quite vocal with pant-hoots and food-grunts. Winkle arrived and approached Figan who embraced her with a full-closed-grin then groomed her briefly. Mike arrived soon afterwards and was approached by Faben who had hair-out. Mike pant-grunted then screamed full-open-grin as he and Faben mutually presented and touched rumps. The entire group then pant-hooted and Faben did a drum display. These interactions and others reflected the excited mood of the chimps upon having discovered this new food.
Nesting Details. This was quite a bizarre nesting, owing to the proximity of colobus monkeys, and the long feed on muhasha by a large group which caused them to nest extremely late.
1911 Figan stops feeding on muhasha and descends to the ground, perhaps waiting for Faben. None of the chimps – Hugo, Humphrey, Faben, Goblin, Nope, Mustard, Athena, Atlas, Winkle, Gigi, Sparrow, Patti, Gilka, or Dove – had nested yet. Humphrey pant-grunts and approaches Figan.
1922 Gilka gets out of her nest and follows most of the mother-infants, who travel uphill past Figan along the Meat Ridge trail to nest nearby. It is now COMPLETELY DARK and I can’t tell who is passing Figan, though some of them are submissive to Figan.
1925 Still no chimps are nested yet.
1931 Faben finally descends to the ground after finishing feeding. Humphrey initiates and Figan, Goblin, Faben, and Gigi follow into the KK3 korongo near the colobus troop.
1935 We lose Figan during flashlight travel into the korongo.
1938 Goblin starts to nest-build.
1939 Figan pant-hoots and displays 50 m down the korongo; colobus monkeys are heard above.
1942 There are screams nearby where another Figan display is heard. Many waah’s and perhaps there is an attack.
1945 We find Faben and follow him to a small tree on the east side of the KK3 streambed. Faben nest-builds.
1947 Another Figan pant-hoot-drum display is heard 50 m away from KK3. Humphrey and others pant-hoot.
1952 Figan is seen in a tree 20 m downhill from Faben. Figan starts to nest-build, then leaves his half-finished nest and travels uphill, waiting periodically for me to catch up with my flashlight.
2000 Figan sits on the ground 15 m from Faben near the KK3 streambed.
2002 Figan climbs 10 m up in a tall tree and goes in perhaps an old nest.
2005 Figan possibly starts nest-building as there is a lot of stirring above. There might even be another chimp up there. Colobus monkeys are definitely within 100 m.
2009 Figan stops stirring and perhaps is resting in his nest. He then pant-hoots and there are many group pant-hoots in response. Figan is not found in his nest the next morning at 0630.
