Kibale Forest is home to several hundred chimpanzees. (These are common chimpanzees, not the bonobos or "pygmy chimps" that reside only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unhappily for both them and would-be ecotourists.)
It is very difficult to observe Kibale's chimps as they spend most of their time high in the canopy. When they shimmy down to terra firma, they run around shrieking, thumping and running amok. They do everything fast. We witnessed one conjugal moment so fleeting it was less a moment than a one-millisecond stand. Too brief an encounter to even focus the camera. Not that you'd want to see that anyway.
These are smart, crazy creatures. And our closest genetic relatives. Look no farther when you wonder about our traits as a species, the good as well as the less charming ones.
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| Visiting Kibale National Forest |
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Fig feast
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| They leap, screech, pound on trees. And pee, pee, pee. It's good luck when a chimp pees on you, says our guide. |
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| Chimp jumps out of tree, observer jumps out of the way, sustains injury |
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| Colobus monkey. The only monkey lacking a thumb. Other vital part is intact, though. |
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| Friada, our guide (right). Rifle is for scaring off forest elephants. |
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