Tacugama

Category: Charlie Girl, Chimpanzee, Introduction, Tacugama | Date: Jan 04 2008 | By: admin

A few days ago Perform, a 12 year old male, failed to turn up for the last feeding of the day. We give supplementary feeding to the older chimps who range in the bigger enclosures and forage for some of their own food. This also allows us to monitor them as not all choose to enter the dens at night to sleep, preferring instead to build their own nests outside. Earlier in the day Willie and Mosses had reported hearing him coughing but he was still quite active and seen busy mating with big Lucy. I was worried as Perform has never missed a meal before.

We walked around the 2 km fence with food calls but no sign of him. As it was getting dark, we decide to resume the search at dawn. I couldn’t sleep at all… expecting the worst! Thankfully, I receive a call from camp at 7 am to confirm that Perform was spotted in the big enclosure looking weak and refusing to take food. We succeed in bringing him into one of the dens. After a closer examination, it was clear that he was down with a bad bout of flu and Dr. Rosa decided to isolate him from the others and begin treatment. We’ve elected to keep him indoors for a few days until he is better and also to stop him infecting others in the group. It is a well known fact that respiratory infections can be very harsh in chimps………

Perform’s friend Solo, is obviously missing him and has decided to fill some time creatively. He was spotted starting an attempt to build a bridge over the electric fence! More work for the fence team to start thinking ahead of him. We walk the enclosure fences every day checking for damage, rapidly growing bush and any other option that the chimpanzees could exploit. Having suffered a traumatic escape of chimpanzees in 2006, vigilance is key.

Surveying Solo’s work…
.

In the nursery area, Tico, Jettie and Mary are doing well together. They have also experimented first hand what the electric fence means. It is satisfying to see them exploring the outdoor enclosure for the first time. Mama Posseh had to accompany the toddlers and do some babysitting within the enclosure. Poor Posseh couldn´t move an inch for couple of hours but it got better and the toddlers started exploring their new terrain. They did very well… Mary was the first one to try climbing the tallest trees. We will keep them on their own for a few hours every day before introducing them to the rest of Baba’s group.

The young chimps brave their new home

.

Charlie Girl has won the plaster cast battle! We decided not to inflict further splinting but instead kept her in isolation where her recovery has gone amazingly well. She’s almost ready to rejoin her group now.

Share This