ON THE TRAIL OF THE GIANT CHIMPANZEE

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ON THE TRAIL OF THE GIANT CHIMPANZEE

• Professor
• COLIN GROVES
• School of Archaeology Anthropology
• Australian National University

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AFRICAS TWO NON-HUMAN GREAT APESGORILLA
CHIMPANZEE
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DISTRIBUTIONCHIMPANZEE GORILLA
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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GORILLAS OF BONDO?
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1898 THREE GORILLAS SHOT BY AN AFRICAN SOLDIER
NEAR BONDO. THEIR SKULLS ARE NOW IN TERVUREN
MUSEUM, BELGIUM
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• 1998 CRESTED SKULL FOUND NEAR THE VILLAGE OF
  BILI BY KARL AMMANN. IS IT A GORILLA? KARL SETS
  UP INFRASTRUCTURE

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THE SKULL IS ACTUALLY A CHIMPANZEE
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OTHER BILI SKULLS ARE MORE TYPICAL CHIMPANZEES
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2001 KARL AMMANN, GEORGE SCHALLER,
TOM BUTYNSKI, ESTABAN SARMIENTO, RICHARD WRANGHAM
AND CHISTOPHE BOESCH GO TO BILI INCONCLUSIVE
RESULTS
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2001 - AUGUST KARL AMMANN ASKS SHELLY WILLIAMS
TO SET UP A FIELD CAMP AT BILI
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GIGANTIC CHIMPANZEE FOOTPRINT AT BILI FOUND BY
KARL AMMANNS TEAM
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GIANT CHIMPANZEE KILLED BY A POACHER AT BILI IN
2000

• Six chimpanzee keepers at Taronga Zoo
  independently estimated the dead chimps weight,
  from this photo, at between 85 and 102.5 kg.
  The extreme record previously stands at 70 kg.

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APRIL, 2003 SHELLY WILLIAMS AND COLIN GROVES GO
TO BILI
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THE TOWNSHIP OF BILI
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THE CHIEFS HAVE NOW BANNED HUNTING IN THE
DISTRICT AROUND BILI
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CAMP LOUIS4 hours N.W. of Bili
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CHIMPANZEE NEST(one of 8 tree nests in the group)
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ONE OF TWO GROUND NESTS IN SAME GROUP
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MORE GROUND NESTS

• RANGE FROM 29 IN TO 6 FT 7 IN
• DEPTH FROM 3 IN TO 12 IN

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ELSEWHERE, CHIMPANZEES ALMOST ALWAYS NEST HIGH IN
TREES
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IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF AFRICA, CHIMPANZEES HAVE
DEVELOPED DIFFERENT CULTURESTanzania termiting
Ivory Coast nut-cracking
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CHIMPANZEE PHOTOGRAPHED BY A CAMERA-TRAP BY DAY
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- AND ANOTHER
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- BUT IN THIS REGION THEY ALSO SEEM TO MOVE
AROUND AT NIGHT
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THE AREA HAS A RICH MAMMAL FAUNAFLYING
SQUIRREL Anomalurops beecrofticlinging to a
wire above camp
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RED RIVER HOG (Potamochoerus porcus)
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YELLOW-BACKED DUIKER(Cephalophus
silvicultor)There are at least five species of
duikers in the area
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FOREST BUFFALO(Syncerus nanus)
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FOREST ELEPHANT (Loxodonta cyclotis)These are
now very rare because of poaching
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WHAT, THEN, OF THE GORILLAS? MAKASSI (below) HAS
SURVEYED MOST OF THE BILI AND BONDO AREA, AND HAS
NOT FOUND GORILLAS. EITHER THEY ARE EXTINCT, OR
THEY SURVIVE ONLY IN VERY FEW AREAS
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SUMMARY- The population of chimpanzees in the
Bili area includes many giants- They have an
unusual culture, including ground nesting,
nocturnal behaviour, also use of aquatic
resources, and stick-termiting- Elephants have
been over-hunted, changing the forest structure-
Gorillas are rare or extinct, perhaps because of
the rarity of elephants- Poaching has now
ceased- The area is stable and hospitable- The
Bili area offers rich possibilities for field
research