Fongoli chimps featured in BBC documentary

The Fongoli chimpanzees were recently featured in a BBC documentary series called "How to Grow a Planet". Episode 3 is entitled "The Challenger" and is all about grasses. Since the Fongoli chimpanzees live in a savanna habitat where the predominant vegetation is grass, they are featured in this episode that talks about the influence that grasslands had on the evolution of our own species. You can see a film clip from the documentary, which aired in the U.K. in April here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3845rTBBEyw&feature=youtu.be

(Image of Fongoli female chimpanzee 'Nickel' courtesy of the BBC)

Neighbor Ape earns permanent spot on Global Giving website!

Neighbor Ape organization rose to the challenge and - with your help! - raised enough money to meet Global Giving's April Challenge! We raised over $4,000 ($4,230 to be exact!) from over 50 unique donors (62 actually!) to earn the right to partner with Global Giving! The amount we raised in the April Challenge will allow us to pay for expenses for conservation education workshops in 14 different villages, to fund 18 village children for one school year in Kedougou or Tambacounda and to fund a nursing student in Dakar for one full year! Global Giving works with grassroots organizations to do good around the world! Please check out our page on their site! (Photo above of children of Djendji village in their classroom. Neighbor Ape has been able to donate a year's worth of school supplies to Djendji for two years now!) http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/conserving-senegals-chimpanzees-through-education/

Photo of Fongoli chimpanzee female "Tumbo", courtesy of Joshua Marshack.

Dormitory is going up!

Neighbor Ape and OBRAR (Senegalese organization) have begun construction on the dormitory that will allow Beudick children in outlying villages to live in and attend school in Kedougou. This video shows the first step in the process (following land purchase, of course!): brick making! Over 10,000 bricks were made. Volunteers from OBRAR assisted the brick-makers. The bricks are now being "cooked", and construction will begin shortly. This particular project is made possible by the kind donations of Drs. Harold Marder and Jewel Slesnick! More videos soon! (and chimps news coming soon also!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDKGE5LXok&list=UU1p_ebHTaACo_nNbCkiaDQQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video

New article on food and tool "sharing" in Fongoli chimps

Our new publication is now available online at the journal Primates. Iowa State University Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Anthropology, home department), Stacy Lindshield, and I published an article on 'Plant Food and Tool Transfer in Savanna Chimpanzees'. There is a link to the paper from the news article that Iowa State University put out, below.

We note that the frequency of non-meat transfer appears high at Fongoli relative to the sharing of wild plants and other foods and tools by chimpanzees elsewhere, and we talk about why that may be. (We'll eventually examine meat-sharing as well, in a separate paper). We also point out that we think this is a tendency for West African chimps to fall closer to bonobos in terms of this and other behaviors along a continuum that includes all Pan species and subspecies.

In large part, adult males allowed adult females to take resources from them. Adult male Karamoko, pictured in the photos above (Courtesy National Geographic) was one of the adult males that shared termite-fishing tools with females.

http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/nov/sharingchimps

Neighbor Ape Dormitory Project Update, Faleme Chimpanzee Conservation and Other News

Received some good news on Thanksgiving from Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project Manager and Director of Conservation, Dondo Kante (pictured above with wife, Nene, and daughter, Nadege).

The Neighbor Ape/OBRAR project that entails construction of a dormitory so village children can attend school in the regional capitol of Kedougou is moving along, and the mayor of Kedougou DONATED 2 plots of land to match the 2 purchased with the generous gift of Neighbor Ape donors Jewel Slesnick and Harold Marder (see previous posts).

Dondo has been filming stages of construction, and I will post these when I arrive in Senegal in late December.

In chimpanzee news, Iowa State University graduate Anna Olson, who is assisting ISU PhD student Stacy Lindshield with her dissertation research, informed me that the Fongoli chimps have moved back closer to Fongoli village, where they can be heard at night. Can't wait to hear that again!

Finally, ISU PhD student Kelly Boyer just had her own Faleme Chimpanzee Conservation project branded by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Congratulations Kelly! Here is a link to her project:

http://www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/waza-conservation-projects/overview/faleme-chimpanzee-conservation-project

School Supplies for Djendji Village School and Announcing Luna!

The crew in Senegal recently presented the village of Djendji a year's supply of school equipment. In this photo, Josh (see below) is pictured with the chief of Djendji and the boxes of school supplies. In the photo above, some of the men at Djendji prepare their drums for the dance after the presentation (top photo).


In chimp news, Lucille's newest infant, a daughter, has been given the name "Luna" by one of the graduate students working at Fongoli this year. Josh Marshack, of Washington University-St. Louis, did the honor. Josh is studying aggression and affiliation in the Fongoli chimpanzees. Luna is the fourth offspring and second daughter (that we know of) of adult female Lucille. Luthor, Lex and Sounkaro are Luna's siblings.


And, finally, the OBRAR project is progressing. The first stage is buying the land in Kedougou and building the dormitories for the children living in and around Thiobo village. Videos will be posted on the progress here in the future.

New Baby and New Neighbor Ape Project!

Some very exciting news Senegal is that Lucille had an infant in late August, and researchers were finally able to confirm that it is a girl!! Congrats Lucille - one of the most energetic moms (considering her interbirth intervals are relatively short at less than 4 years!). Name for new daughter coming soon. This is Lucille's fourth infant, behind Luthor, Lex and Sounkaro. (Photo above - courtesy of the National Geographic Society - is of Lucille & Sounkaro several years ago, relaxing in Sakoto pool).

Other very exciting news is that our non-profit organization, Neighbor Ape, has been able to move forward with our plans to construct a dormitory for village children from southeastern Senegal. This would enable these children to live in Kedougou and attend school there. Two very generous donors made this project possible - thank you Harold Marder and Jewel Slesnick! Updates on this project soon - including some video of the progress!