Date:	July 20, 1974
Observers:	David Riss and Emilie van Zinnicq Bergmann

Editors’ note

[ This was the most disturbing observation of the entire 50 days. Parts of the description are omitted due to the sheer brutality shown by Goblin to the mother. ]

Introduction

In a Linda korongo, the chimps Gigi, Goblin, Figan, and Faben started to feed on budyankende at 0845 after finishing mshai berries on the grassland slopes. They traveled down and out of the korongo, heading south, traveling as they were feeding on the not too abundant budyankende. Faben was separate a bit from Gigi, Goblin, and Figan. Figan has been very possessive of Gigi (B=1) of late and did not let her out of his sight.

By 0905 they had reached a colobus troop that seemed to be moving, afraid of us people (2) or the chimps. There were many vocalizations, and the three chimps seemed to ignore the monkeys for about five minutes, remaining to feed. They then started to look up at the monkeys, and travel and feed, in the direction that the monkeys were going, which seem to be XX (?). The chimps feeding tempo picked up and we were suddenly chasing the monkeys. Vegetation was dense (very) as they went back into the korongo.

There were many screams and pant-hoots and the sound of monkeys screaming and being chased. Faben rushed by us with his hair out, catching up with the others. We were able to keep up with Faben and arrive some three minutes after I had lost the others in the thick bush, to find Gigi charging through a tree and Figan and Goblin up in the tree also.

Figan suddenly came crashing to the ground and charged up the hill, southward again, followed by Faben hair-out who never ascended the tree. Goblin and Gigi followed. We were almost to the top of the korongo again in a short two minutes and Figan, Faben, and Goblin sat while Gigi climbed a tree where several monkeys sat.

Figan then charged uphill and into a tree and was seen by us to almost catch a monkey (sex/age unknown). He came with an arm’s reach. He then jumped in the direction of the monkey and we lost them as they all charged and tree-hopped down the korongo (northward) again. Within 30 seconds of Figan’s charge at the monkeys, we heard an outbreak of many screams, excited pant-hoots, and food-grunts. I knew that something was up.

Emilie and I arrived about three minutes later to find the following scene: Gigi in a small tree/bush about 3 m off the ground wadging leaves. I thought she was just eating leaves. Figan was within 5 m of her with an erection, branching at her with hair out. Within 3-5 m of him were Goblin and Faben.

Goblin had the neck and head of a big female colobus pinned down, and Faben had hold of the colobus right leg.

[ David: Unfortunately, my tape recorder was not functioning well, with 30% of my commentary of the kill by Goblin unintelligible. I discovered this at 0952 and started taking written notes. The following is partially from memory. The times are approximations, and I apologize for this unfortunately event. ]

At approximately 0920 Goblin bites the monkey’s neck. Faben holds the right foot and leg and repeatedly shakes it half-heartedly, food-grunting, very excitedly, and continually looking back up at Figan with a full-closed-grin. Figan was still branching at Gigi. We thought at this time that Gigi was feeding on leaves, but she actually had a baby colobus and seemed to eat the head first.

[ The paragraph here is omitted due to Goblin’s sheer savagery directed toward the mother. ]

At 0927 Figan and Faben move up the hill about 5 m. Gigi is within 15 m in her small tree.

[ Paragraph omitted. ]

At 0928 Gigi approaches Figan and Faben, squeaking and barking, and she presents, and there is a Figan/Gigi copulation. He then goes up into her small tree and gets a piece of meat that she must have left behind. He goes down and Gigi goes into a neighboring tree very low and eats meat with leaves. This is the first time that we noticed that she had meat. Figan sits and eats a small piece (parts unidentified as we are concentrating on Goblin’s kill) and Faben sits nearby Figan.

[ Paragraph omitted. ]

Colobus dies at 0945. It’s eyes are open but breathing stops. Goblin leaves the colobus directly and sits within arm’s reach of Figan and Faben. Goblin lays supine. At 0945 colobus lays on the ground within 3 m of Figan, Faben, and Goblin. Goblin rests. Faben still begs from Figan hand-to-hand and hand-to-mouth. He gets another small bone.

[Handwritten notes begin]

• 0952. Goblin re-approaches colobus from 3 m and nibbles on left fingers. Goblin leaves the colobus with one finger after 15 seconds. Figan has a small bone; Faben none. Goblin sucks on finger bone. All seem to look up at Gigi who has at least a leg remaining. The foot seems to be 2 inches; the tail 8 inches; the legs 6 inches. She holds the baby in her right hand; it looks like a squirrel. Goblin sits, sucking a bone within 1 m of the colobus.
• 0955. Figan sits. Faben, Goblin, and Gigi are within 5 m. Figan, Faben, and Goblin finished feeding.
• 0956. Goblin approaches the colobus to arm’s reach and bangs at it. Then for 20 seconds, he grooms it on the right side.
• 0957. [ Section omitted. ] Faben eats kitota within 5 m. Gigi continues to wadge. Figan sits.
• 0958. Goblin dabs at its head and then goes to 1 m and sits.
• 1005. Continues to sit within 1 m of the colobus. Figan sits and Faben feeds.
• 1006. Goblin pats at the colobus and inspects it and leaves it again. Figan, Faben, and Goblin periodically look at Gigi.
• 1008. Goblin rests within 2 inches of the colobus tail. Tail then draped over his right arm. Figan and Faben rest.
• 1020. All resting except for the eating Gigi.
• 1021. Gigi drops a leaf or a piece of meat and Goblin hurries over and sucks on whatever it is on the ground.
• 1024. Figan approaches to 2 m of the colobus and looks up at Gigi. Figan still has a very small bone, it is discovered. Goblin wadges something within 5 m of the colobus.
• 1028. Gigi descends the tree and sits 2 m from the colobus. Figan moves east, apparently ready to go. Goblin immediately climbs into Gigi’s tree and inspects leaves and area.

• 1030. Figan stays within 5 m of Gigi and Faben, within 8 m of Goblin in the tree. Gigi has shown no response to the mother. Faben and Goblin rest in a tree while Figan sits. Gigi lays on the ground wadging.
• 1040. Same. All look at Gigi. Figan moves a couple of meters away at 1045; no Gigi response.
• 1100. Ditto. Figan still sits; Faben self-grooms; Goblin sits.
• 1106. Goblin descends the tree and approaches to within 1 m of the colobus, but ignores it. He then moves to 5 m.
• 1120. All rest as Gigi eats. Gigi is still within 1 m of the mother.
• 1125. Gigi has almost finished the meat; it has some skin left. She wadges slowly. Figan and Faben sit and keep looking at her.
• 1129. Faben starts uphill a few meters and Goblin sits closer to Gigi.
• 1133. Goblin moves off a little and starts eating budyankende. Figan moves a little further from Gigi. General restlessness.
• 1135. Figan and Faben and have not resorted to any grunts yet or branching.
• 1140. Gigi approaches the adult colobus and looks at it. Goblin also approaches. She inspects with her fingers the bloody wound on the head. Faben moves in Figan’s direction. Gigi after 30 seconds returns to where she was within 2 m. Goblin moves to within 5 m.
• 1142. Goblin re-approaches the colobus monkey and inspects the wound; he looks at the wound and touches it with his fingers. He starts to groom the body and neck through 1147.
• 1144. Faben grunts. Gigi gets up; still has skin. Goblin licks at the wound. Gigi stands quadrupedal and looks at Goblin and at the colobus monkey.
• 1145. Goblin is still grooming the body. Gigi relaxes and self-grooms. Goblin leaves to within 5 m. She gets up and looks at the colobus. Then rests again.
• 1152. After brief Goblin grooming of Gigi, he branches at her with an erection. Gigi no response. Goblin leaves and feeds elsewhere greater than 15 m.
• 1154. Faben approaches Figan for grooming.
• 1205. Gigi gets up and approaches the colobus and starts to groom it; she inspects it and puts her lips to the wound. She grooms the head.
• 1206. Gigi continues to groom the head. She then grooms a piece of skin similar to the way a chimp leaf-grooms – with both hands, etc.
• 1210. Gigi continues intently grooming the colobus’s neck. She lip-smacks.
• 1214. Gigi stops grooming the colobus and then rests within 2 m.
• 1215. Figan moves upslope again. Faben moves a little also.
• 1218. Faben goes south (upslope) again 3 m. Figan branches. Faben grunts at 1222. At 1223, Figan grunts.
• 1227. Gigi finally moves and Goblin picks up a remaining small piece of skin. Figan budyankende travels upslope and all follow. They abandon the colobus.

Later, at 1645, the chimps (minus Faben) come across a red colobus troop in KK6. They look up and Figan briefly puts hair out. The colobus are avoiding, traveling away from us. There is little attention paid to them, except one charge into a tree that contained colobus by Figan, who quickly attacked and chased after Gigi instead of the colobus. I think that was his purpose all along.