Journal No. 5 December 2005

... Hey, did you know that ...

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Forest wisdom

ContentsIn this edition:

• Editorial• Knowledge of our ancestors• Grégoire Nohon tells us about...• WCF and its projects• The life of our chimpanzees:

Ella – a family history (2)• The tamtam…

“Forest Wisdom” is published and distributedby the Wild chimpanzee Foundation (WCF)*with financial support from

A Newsletter for all of you:

• Villagers living near a national park, and for• Everyone who cares about the conservation of

forests and wildlife

Forest wisdom

• Tells the life story of special forest inhabitants:chimpanzees

• Shows the problems and threats to the forest• Supplies information• Answers your questions and invites you to

contribute to this newsletter• Invites you to protect the great forest, this

national heritage which is also yours

*WCF – Europe c/o Max-Planck-Institut fürevolutionäre Anthropologie, Deutscher Platz 6,04103 Leipzig, GermanyWCF – Africa c/o CSRS, 01 BP 1303, Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire

Editorial committee: Hedwige Boesch, Christophe Boesch, Ilka Herbinger, Zoro Bertin Goné Bi, Christine LevantComics, Text: Dao N’Daw KoumbaDrawings: Désiré Koffi, Ben Amara Sylla

Forest wisdom

The theatre and school activities and the biomoni-toring project are conducted with additional finan-cial support from

Gahably village committeefor the protection of TaïNational Park in Côte d’Ivoire.

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School children watchingthe theatre play near GolaForest in Sierra Leone.

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Hello and good health to you all!

“Once upon a time… there was a pregnant womangathering wood in the forest. Unfortunately, she losther way and was caught by nightfall. The next day,she had not yet left the forest when she went intolabour. Lost and alone, she was about to deliver herbaby by herself when a softly grunting chimpanzeeapproached and helped her in her hour of need.Thanks to this unexpected help, mother and childwere saved and returned to their village in goodhealth. The young mother then proudly presented herson to the villagers, who had been worried about herwhereabouts, and told them about the precious helpshe had received from the chimpanzee. Since thattime, the chimpanzee is the totem of her family.”

This story was told to me by an old man from avillage near Taï, and shows how, in the African tradi-tion, people have long been aware that the forest andthe animals living there could be really important forthe inhabitants of the region.

Does science come to the same conclusion? I will tryto convince you that the answer is, Yes! Let’s take theelephant for instance: in the past, many elephantswere slaughtered for the ivory trade. Today this is for-bidden. Ivory has become nearly worthless and inmany regions elephants have disappeared. But evenmore surprising is the fact that since all the elephantswere killed the seeds of the Macore tree no longersprout. This tree is even disappearing. And why? Be-cause these seeds grow very badly when they haven’tpassed through the gut of an elephant. Many othertrees of the forest also need elephants for theirdissemination and the sprouting of their seeds. If wedon’t do anything, it’s not only elephants that will beexterminated. We won’t even be able to make a goodseed sauce...

And here’s another example: recent and very exactstudies carried out in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana andLiberia show that the disappearance of the forestcaused a regular decline of the amount of rain fallingin these countries. The “Cacao belt” in Côte d’Ivoireused to extend to the region of Abengourou but isnow confined to the Daloa zone, following almostexactly the line of the rain decrease. This rainfalldecline is more pronounced in the forest zones than inthe savannas. If this trend continues, in 20 years itwill no longer be possible to grow cacao and coffeeplants in Côte d’Ivoire. We will all be punished.

Thus, our old people were right when they suggestedthat the forest gives us great riches. Therefore, let’s doeverything we can to save it and secure our children’sfuture.

See you soon,Christophe Boesch

Newsletter No. 5,December 2005 Editorial: Chimpanzee – not ennemies

but friends!

What’s that

strange animal in

my nest?

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The knowledge of our ancestorsHenri Téré and Hedwige Boesch

Irvingia is a typically shaped tree which can be foundmainly in the humid and semi-deciduous tropicalforests. It has a straight trunk with quite largebuttresses at its base. The bark is yellow-beige. Theleaves are leathery, glossy on both sides and end inshort points. In the middle of the leaves is aprotruding vein with 6 to 8 pairs of smaller veinsbranching off to both sides. The tree also has smallyellow blossoms that grow into fruits from Decemberto June.

Irvingia produces yellow-greenish fruits whichresemble mango fruits and likewise contain a seed. Incertain regions of Côte d’Ivoire people eat their flesh,and the village populations of the Guére or Wé evenappreciate the fruits for their edible seeds also knownunder the name “Kplé”.

The legend of IrvingiaIn the Toulepleu region of Western Côte d’Ivoire, theGuére or Wé legend tells that one day a big crocodilecaught a young man and put him into a hole. Theunlucky man was saved by a fruit from a Irvingia treenear the river. The fruit fell heavily on the groundand, as by Providence, made a hole just where theyoung man was held captive. He escaped andreturned safe and sound to his village. Out ofgratitude, the villagers no longer eat the fruits orseeds of Irvingia gabonensis. Anyone who is notobedient to this self-imposed prohibition will be hitby a severe disease which can only be cured by thehealing powers of this tree.

Medical useA decoction of the bark is used as a laxative to curestomach or kidney pain. A paste from the poundedbark mixed with kaolin is used as body pack to curescabies.

Use of the seeds The seeds are dried, roasted and pounded with chilipepper to create an oily paste or a powder. The pasteis then either eaten directly with cooked rice or usedfor a sauce called “kplé“. To prepare this sauce, oneputs the paste into hot water along with chili pepperpowder. This mixture is then beaten with a specialsmall whisk. The “kplé“ sauce is eaten with manioc orbanana foutou, plakali or prepared rice.

The seeds are also used for the fabrication of a beautycream which is thought to make the skin soft andradiant.

Consumption by the chimpanzeesThe chimpanzee very much like to eat Irvingia fruitsthat have fallen to the ground. They chew them for along time to get the juice out of the fruit, but avoideating the fibers of the flesh. When they are donechewing, they leave the fruits on the ground until theflesh has decomposed. Then, the chimpanzees comeback and open the dried seeds with their teeth. Ittakes a great deal of strength to get to the almondrich in protein.

Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill. IrvingiaceaeIndigenous names in Côte d’Ivoire : Boborou or Poborou (in Abé), Bé (in Attié),Brètié (in Ebrié), Kalo, Kakourou (in Gouro), Kpé (in Yacouba), Sakosou (inBété), Kpélé (in Oubi), Kplé-tou (in Guéré)

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Grégoire Nohon tell us about...Hedwige Boesch

His discussions with the villagers about chimpanzeehunting.

Grégoire, the assistant of the Taï Chimpanzee Project in Côte d’Ivoire tells the people in the village what is happeningin the forest when he follows the chimpanzees every day, all day. This week, he saw them catch a red colobus monkey…

Hey,

Grégoire, you

don’t say - that’s

impossible!

Then, in his yard, surrounded by the curious people who always like him to tell what he has seen in the forest,Grégoire explains what a real hunt is – without guns or traps – and how the chimpanzees organize themselvesto catch their prey.

Hey, brother!

Don’t you know that hunting

is forbidden here?

Come on!

How will we

survive then?

It’s Friday,market day.Grégoire istired and happyto spend aweekend withhis family. Ashe arrives in thevillage, he sees apassing poacherwith his gunand a backpackcontaining adead animal.

I’m going to explain

to you how the chimpanzees which

weigh 40 kg catch a 15 kg monkey in

60 m height in the trees, a monkey

that can jump from branch

to branch.

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Grégoire Nohon tell us about...

“It’s 6 o’clock on a misty morning and I find the 10male chimpanzees in a swampy area. It is very humidand cold. The chimpanzees sit in complete silencelistening intently to the slightest sound in theforest…

All of a sudden, the characteristic metallic bark of ared colobus can be heard. Brutus gets up immediatelyand leaves. All the others follow him silently. Wearrive under the tree where the colobus monkeys areeating leaves and grooming.

The chimpanzees look ateach other and young Snoo-py starts to climb silentlyinto the tree. Ulysse moveswithout a sound 50 m awayto another big tree, intowhich he climbs. Frightenedby Snoopy, the colobusmonkeys flee towards thetree Ulysse has climbed.When they see himemerging, they screech andchange direction. Brutus,the expert, observed themattentively, and then runs asfast as he can and swingswith all his might intoexactly the tree the monkeyshad chosen to escape. Andhere, they bump intoBrutus. That’s amazing!

Grégoire, who greatly admires Brutus, themost experienced hunter of the chimp commu-nity, recounts…

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The terrified colobus monkeys are caught in the trapbetween Snoopy, Ulysse and Brutus. Some throwthemselves intrepidly into the void. On the ground,other chimpanzees excitedly follow the action.

While Ulysse defends himself against three of themonkeys, which bite him everywhere, Brutus grabsanother big one and kills him with a bite to the neck.

“Um, that’s too much! These

chimps are really intelligent.”

There is an explosion of cries. Victoriously, Brutusdescends with his prey from the tree and walksaround for a while, dragging the monkey behind him.

Then they divide up the kill. Brutus tears the prey topieces. He cuts himself a piece of the spine, cuts a legfor Ondine, his preferred female, and finally he givesthe rest to Ulysse, who shares with Snoopy, the thirdhunter, and so on… Everyone eats the meat with softleaves! The feast lasts about 3 hours.”

“See how well organized the

chimpanzees are! They cooperate and

then share the prey fairly. Everyone

who participated in the hunt receives

meat, even the young ones.”

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The WCF and its projectsIlka Herbinger

Ilka Herbinger for WCF with Paul N’Goran, Célestin Kouakou andHjalmar Kühl and in collaboration with OIPR, Abidjan University,CSRS, MPI-Leipzig, Conservation International, GTZ, WWF and EUWhat is behind this phrase “bio-monitoring”? It is about goinginto the forest and using precise methods to find out what kind ofanimals are in there and what their survival chances are: Forinstance:– Where are the chimpanzee populations?– Are chimpanzees numerous or are they under threat of

extinction?– Can we be precise about their numbers?– Which are the most severe threats for these animals (poaching, deforestation, diseases…)?This information is collected by villagers, park wardens, andresearchers who use scientific techniques in the field as well as forthe analysis. The resulting information is intended as a base for thepark managers’ conservation efforts: they learn about the where-abouts of the main threats and can react quickly and efficiently.

In December 2005, WCF with Zoro Bertin Goné Bi andYasmin Moebius became active in Sierra Leone incollaboration with the “Conservation Society of SierraLeone“, the “Forestry Division” and the company “TabuleTheatre”. The play “Nuvui Ke Ngolei Ndengasiamia” inthe local language Mendé (“We and the chimpanzees, ourbrothers”) as well as films on chimpanzee behaviour werebrought to the Gola forest. With its 75’800 ha, it is thebiggest forest in the country. The audience appreciatedthe performances and the people have expressed theirworries and their critiques. They came in a record num-ber of 18,000 people! Despite a very difficult post-warsituation, the majority has judged in favor of protectingchimpanzees and the forest – also for the well-being ofthe human population. THANKS very much for thesupport in Sierra Leone!

Bio-monitoring in Côte d’Ivoire – at Banco NP, Marahoué NP and Taï NP

The theatre is on tour in Sierra LeoneIlka Herbinger

Torrential rains and blocked roads have not preventedZoro Bertin Goné Bi from WCF to undertaking thetour and attracting a crowd of interested people in 16villages. No less than 17,000 people have seen thefilms on the extraordinary behavior of the chimpan-zees of Taï forest and on the WCF activities in favorof better protection of chimpanzees. We thank every-body for having so actively and passionately partici-pated in the discussions. We hope that ALL of youwill become active to protect the forest and thechimpanzees.

Film Tour in the west of Taï National Park inCôte d’Ivoire Ilka Herbinger, tour organized by Zoro Bertin Goné Bi

Ecologists and park wardens during their training in TaïNational Park. (Photo: Ilka Herbinger)

Bad road... Very concentrated children.

The theatre and its public in Sierra Leone. Photos: Zoro Bertin Goné Bi

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Ella – a family history (2)Hedwige Boesch

In the last edition we started our story in 1983, whith Ella and her three sons Kendo, Fitz and Gerald. Now let’s move ahead to 1989! Kendo is a 20 year old adult, Fitz a 13 year old adolescent and little Gerald is 6 years old. Ella’s role is now very important because her eldest Kendo has ambitionsto become the boss.

Hey, Kendo, when

you’re a real male, come back

by yourself! You can’t defy

me. I’m the boss here!

I’d better

go or he’ll have a real

go at me.

Macho is the domi-nant male of thegroup but for thelast year Kendo, thenumber two, hasbeen regularly pro-voking him. Machoand the other bigmales Falstaff,Brutus and Ulysseslap Kendo when-ever they can.When mother isnearby, Kendomanages to makeMacho flee andscream, but facinghim alone Kendodoesn’t take anychances.

Let’s push off,

Macho… here comes the

whole clan.

Get him, Kendo!

And don’t let him get

away with anything. Now,

I’m ready to

face him.

Let’s go!

ATTACK!!!

There’s somethingin the air! Ella is back in thegroup with a new-born baby! She doesnot fear anything.She does nothesitate to behaveprovocatively andstarts to screamwithout a reasonwhen she is nearMacho. When theyhear the cries oftheir mother,Kendo and Fitz,followed by littleGerald, come run-ning like lightning.That’s a real fight!Macho is attackedfrom all sides.

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Ella – une histoire de famille (2)

Go,

go, go…

Ouch, you’re

hurting me…

Finally it’s the dayof the decisivebattle! Kendochases Machorelentlessly andtears off a fingerand a toe… As forElla, she screamsher support as loudas she can…

Why does Ella

have to scream like that… ?

Hey, Macho.

Who’s the boss around

here now?

Macho, who can hardly walk, eventually admits defeat andleaves… Kendo, on the other hand, is magnificent! With his hairstanding on end, he looks very strong. Kendo is the alpha maleand he is showing it!

Who is the boss?

Brutus had been the absolute alpha male: he was:– Dominant, able to face down any other

members of his community, – Leader of hunts and of the distribution

of the meat,– Warrior chief: Leader of the patrols

against strangers. – Strategist in times of war. – Architect of shifts in community territory,

guiding others with his voice and hisdrumming.

With loud and sharp screams he alertedeveryone to dangers like the presence of aGaboon viper. This role is critical, as thecommunity has to be protected againststrangers and predators.

Not all the alpha males manage toundertake all of these roles. Some of them,like Kendo, are dominant “leaders inpower”, but not absolute alphas.

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Brutus, who was once one of the big bosses, has no ambition anymore. Nevertheless, he still shows a livelyinterest in hunting and… females. Thus, one sees him often with his favourite female Ondine and herchildren. He has even adopted two little orphans: Tosca’s son Tarzan and Ali, who is now 10 years old (see number 2 on page 5).

Finally, my son

is the boss. I’ve been

waiting for this mo-

ment for such a long

time!

It is very

cool to be the

boss!

Kendo,accompanied by hisfamily, arrives justas the meat of afreshly killedmonkey is beingshared out. Theirarrival causes quitea stir! Ella gets thebiggest piece ofmeat from thehands of Brutushimself.

Even though he haslost the status as adominant male,Brutus is still themost talentedhunter of the groupand still anexcellent “strate-gist” in fightsagainst strangers. Sagely, he watchesMacho and Kendoquarrelling andfighting each otherwithout end, whilehe has a good timewith his children…

Let them

fight - we need

strong males! Brutus

is really getting

old….I remember the

times when he was still

a real big boss.

To be continued… In the next edition: Will Kendo have what it takes to stay in power? Who among his friends mighttry to dethrone him?

On page 5, Grégoire tellsus about the huntingstrategies of chimpanzeesin the Taï forest.

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The tamtam …

On

goin

g …

Hilaire Guilahoux,“Coordinateur deCellule de ProjetsEnvironnementaux etd’Echange Scolaire”with some of the objects made by the children in Germany andCôte d’Ivoire, which were exchanged with great pleasure betweenthe children of the two countries (see also no. 4) – Inauguration of the Banco Nature

Museum– Exposition of the School Exchange

Program– Theatre Tour in Guinée Forestière– Sociological studies measuring

the impact of environmentalcampaigns

– Results from the “bio-monitoring”in Côte d’Ivoire

School exchangeproject betweenCôte d’Ivoire andGermanyIlka Herbinger, Julia Riedel

In no. 4 we informed you about poachers who do not poach any-more. This good trend continues in the west of Taï National Park.Indeed, in some villages, there are committees organized to pro-tect the forests near their villages and to convince others to join inthese efforts. The WCF encourages everybody to work in thisdirection.

The WCF supports the school theatrecompanies that have become increasinglysuccessful in Côte d’Ivoire. In the south-west of Taï National Park, children ofthe EPP Grabo have decided to performa play on nature protection. Likewise,children of the EPP Agban Attié havecreated a theatre company and prepared atour close to the Banco National Park.Although in the heart of Abidjan, thereis still a chimpanzee community in thisforest. We want to do all we can so thatthe human population of this big city canappreciate and protect the natural habitatright at its front door.

Poachers on the right track and villagersconcerned about the protection of their forestand animals in Côte d’IvoireIlka Herbinger

School theatre groups – a succes in Côte d’IvoireIlka Herbinger

Claude Gnakouri, Director of Ymako Teatri,has trained a forth school theatre company.

The children perform also a play on elefantprotection, in collaboration with Conser-vation International.

Keibly village committee.

Photos: Ilka Herbinger

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