Day 47: Figan then Melissa Steal Meat from Baboons
| Date: | August 15, 1974 |
| Start: | 06:55 (nest) |
| Finish: | 18:40 (nest) |
| Duration: | 11 hr. 45 min. |
| Observers: | Curt Busse and Kassim Selemani |
Curt’s Report. A few minutes after un-nesting there were more distant pant-hoots from Lower Kasakela (unquestionably Evered). Figan put hair out and led travel to search for these chimps. Pallas, Gilka, and Evered were at the stream, and after general arrival displays by Figan and Mike, Figan displayed at Evered who screamed and avoided. Evered and Mike followed Figan (mostly hair-out) back to Camp.
Melissa, Gremlin, and Goblin. 
Figan and Mike displayed at the Plum Tree Thicket drum, while Evered merely pant-hooted. Figan displayed at Sherry on the trail to Camp then did a long branch-waving display upon arrival in Camp. Winkle and Passion (our favorites [not]) avoided and pant-bobbed. Evered merely followed Figan into Camp. A few minutes later Evered pant-grunted, bobbed, and approached to 5 m from Figan who put hair out and looked away. Figan did another long branching display before following Evered and Sherry out of Camp to the east.
Upon following Figan into camp, Curt found Jane with a new visitor watching some chimps. The visitor, an attractive American woman in her late twenties, introduced herself as Candy. Curt soon learned that Candy was an actress named Candice Bergen (unknown to Curt), who was visiting Gombe for a week to write an article about Jane for Ladies Home Journal.
The three split up in KK9 with Figan feeding on ngazi for an hour. Satan arrived and fed briefly with Figan on muguiza near KK9. Figan then traveled back to Camp with hair-out intermittently and displayed as Melissa, Goblin, Passion, Pom, Nope, and Mustard were in Camp. Melissa was submissive to Figan several times. Figan groomed with Hugo for ½ hour before Patti arrived and was submissive to Sherry. Hugo, Sherry, Patti, and Figan left Camp to the south at 1105; Sherry bobbed once to Figan during travel.
Figan left the group and traveled towards KK0 where he found Stumptail (baboon), who was feeding alone on the anus of a freshly killed baby bushbuck. Figan immediately charged after Stumptail and after a 100 m chase, Figan was successful at stealing an entire leg of the carcass from Stumptail (photo, below, and the Predation Report).
Figan eats from the leg of a bushbuck that he stole from a baboon on Day 47.
The Bald Soko baboons arrived and fought over the carcass while Figan fed on his piece of meat and maintained proximity to the baboons. When Figan finished his meat he left the baboon troop and fed on ngazi about 200 m from the baboons.
As Figan fed on ngazi, two hours after the kill had been made, there were many distant chimp and baboon vocalizations. Figan hurried back to KK1 where he found Melissa who had just stolen the remaining carcass from the baboons (see FRMI report by D. Anderson). Other chimps were present and were arriving. Humphrey and Figan brutally attacked Melissa, and somehow during this skirmish Gigi gained possession of the bushbuck skin. After considerable screaming and ASR by Figan and Humphrey in excitement, Mike, Faben, Goblin, Athena, and Atlas arrived.
Gigi feeds from the remains of an infant bushbuck carcass that she stole from Melissa, who had stolen it from some baboons. Mike watches. An adult male baboon sits in the background.
The males repeatedly displayed at and attacked Gigi, but they were unsuccessful in taking the carcass from her. Only Mike and Faben, after very persistent begging, were able to get the smallest scraps of meat and bone from Gigi. During the meat-eating Gigi was attacked separately by Figan and Faben. Figan also attacked Goblin and Mike. Fifi, Gilka, Pallas, Nova, Athena, and Miff remained peripheral during the entire incident.
Faben (left) and Mike pursue Gigi, who flees through the trees while holding the bushbuck carcass.
Finally at 1615, after the males had given up trying to get meat, the group — Figan, Faben, Sherry, Goblin, Fifi, and Gigi — traveled down to the Kakombe stream where they fed for a while on mtobogoro. Figan left the group and traveled through Camp to Plum Tree Thicket where he fed on ngazi for 10 minutes. During travel down to the Mess Figan passed Sherry and Fifi; Figan displayed at Sherry. Figan fed on mumanda then returned to Camp for the fourth time of the day. Figan apparently was trying to re-locate Faben or Gigi (who was tumescing) as he pant-hooted twice from Camp. Figan found Faben nested in the large tree at the base of KK1. After hearing nearby pant-hoots Figan left Faben and traveled to Palm Grove where he nested with Goblin and Gigi.
ASR Details. Upon un-nesting, Figan and Mike immediately traveled down to search for the chimps who were vocalizing the previous night and again this morning in Lower Kasakela. Figan led travel and had hair-out most of the time. At 0729 Pallas was found at the Kasakela stream. Figan with hair-out advanced towards Pallas who pant-grunted, approached Figan, extended hand and touched Figan’s mouth. Pallas pant-grunted again and close-faced Figan before moving off. Pallas then screamed and avoided Figan as Mike and Figan displayed across the stream. There were nearby pant-hoots by Evered and Gilka in response to the displays. Evered arrived pant-bobbing and he avoided as Figan displayed at him. Evered followed Figan to Camp and bobbed once to Figan in Camp. They then separated.
Later in the day was the bushbuck predation in which several chimps fought over the carcass which Melissa had stolen from the baboons. See the Predation Report for a description of much ASR activity during the meat eating. Melissa was attacked simultaneously by Figan and Humphrey. Figan later attacked Goblin, Mike, and Gigi. Faben also attacked Gigi.
Humphrey approaches Figan, who is screaming with a full-open-grin. Gigi sits in the background with the bushbuck carcass hanging from her mouth.
Figan grooms Humphrey; both are screaming with full-open-grins. They did not succeed in obtaining meat from Gigi.
Nesting Details. Figan entered Camp alone at 1815 and pant-hooted twice in an apparent attempt to locate Faben or Gigi. Figan traveled out to KK1 where he had earlier left the group, and found Faben nested alone in the tall tree at the base of KK1. Figan and Faben exchanged grunts then Faben pant-hooted as Figan climbed into the tree. Figan and distant chimps pant-hooted in response.
Figan then descended the tree, left Faben, and traveled to the source of the distant pant-hoots where he found Goblin and Gigi nested. Figan rapid-grunted as he sat on the ground. There were pant-hoots by Gigi and Goblin in response. Figan built his nest 2 ½ m off the ground at 1840. He rapid-grunted as he finished his nest. Gigi and Goblin were about 15 m away. Figan perhaps wanted to retain proximity to Gigi now that she was beginning to tumesce. I was indeed surprised when he left Faben.
