by Elizabeth Vinson Lonsdorf:
My favorite memory of Fifi was one day when I was following her in
my very first visit to Gombe in 1998. She was resting with her family
under a very thick vine mat. I had to crawl under it also to be able
to observe what was going on. So, there we were, all lying down on the
forest floor and Fifi started playing "airplane" with her baby, Flirt.
She was flat on her back with her feet straight up in the air and was
dangling Flirt from one foot so that she could tickle her with her hands.
All of the sudden, she turned to look at me and held my gaze for a full
20 seconds before returning to tickling her baby. That picture in my
mind, of a chimp playing airplane with her baby and calmly accepting
my presence still gives me goosebumps. I'll always wonder what
she was thinking as she looked at me.
by
Joann Schumacher-Stankey:
Fifi was only 2 years old when Dr. Jane Goodall started her
research at Gombe in 1960. Born to high-ranking Flo, she is
currently the oldest of the known Kasakela chimpanzees at 44
years old. As a youngster, Fifi was fascinated by other infants
and frequently "kidnapped" her younger siblings. To date, Fifi
is the most successful female at Gombe—she has had nine
offspring (seven of whom have survived). Her eldest son, Freud,
was the most powerful male in the community from 1993-1997 until
he was overthrown by younger brother Frodo, who was alpha male
from 1997 until the end of 2002, when he lost his position after
becoming ill with an unknown disease. Her other sons are the
young adult Faustino and adolescent Ferdinand. Her eldest daughter,
Fanni, has three offspring. Her younger daughter, Flossi, emigrated
to another community where she has also become high-ranking
and gave birth in November 2001 to her second son. Daughter,
Flirt, rounds out the "F" family. Like her mother
Flo, Fifi had a fearless nature and was the highest ranking
female in the community, but she was also a very affectionate,
tolerant and playful mother. Sadly, Fifi disappeared in 2004
along with her infant daughter Furaha, whose name means “happiness”
in Swahili (Jane
Goodall Institute press release). Despite this sad loss,
young Flirt has endured without her mother and continues to
make her way in the community.
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