Excerpts from The JGI world report, Summer 2000, Volume 6
by Bill
Wallauer:
Of the many comparisons we can make between chimpanzees and
humans, none is so poignant as this: In both species there are
certain individuals who have a presence, an indefinable quality,
which earns them a special place in the hearts of all. For me,
and for many others fortunate enough to spend time with him,
Galahad was such an individual.
I first met Galahad in June 1992; he was not quite four. I
had just arrived in Gombe and knew little about chimps and even
less about their interactions with baboons. Moments after I
met him, he gave me my first lesson. It's a memory I will always
cherish.
While Galahad's mother Gremlin sat calmly grooming herself,
the little chimp turned his attention to a troop of baboons
grooming and feeding nearby. I was struck by the glow in his
eyes. Even so young and tiny, he was utterly confident as he
charged at them, first trying to get them to play chase, then
threatening them by wielding branches or throwing stones. The
look on his face was a study of intelligence and mischief. At
one point he was bold enough to hurl a large rock at an adult
male who had to leap aside to avoid being hit. For the next
30 minutes, Galahad terrorized the troop, chasing, then fleeing,
grinning and laughing throughout. I would learn that was the
way of things between chimps and baboons, and that Galahad had
playing and teasing down to an art.
It's difficult for me to write of him in the past tense because
in many ways I feel he's still out there in the forest. But
the reality is, the life of the wonderful spirit which was Galahad
came to a tragic end during an epidemic in the Kasakela community
[in] February [2000].
Anne writes:
When I returned to Gombe after an absence of many years and
met young Galahad, I was immediately reminded of Atlas, a juvenile
male whom I followed in the 1970's. They both had the same mischievous
look and rather close-set eyes, and both loved to throw rocks.
Could Atlas be Galahad's father? It seemed unlikely because
Atlas was always a low ranking male. However, we found that
Gremlin was away with Atlas for a few days during the cycle
in which Galahad was conceived (possibly avoiding her older
brother, the alpha male, Goblin, who often tried to mate with
her), and DNA analysis confirms that Atlas was, indeed, Galahad's
father. |
