by
Ian Gilby and Anne
Pusey: Ian writes:
Born on September 16, 1964, Goblin is currently the oldest
male in the Kasakela community. Goblin was the youngest male
ever to reach alpha status, first doing so in 1979 at the age
of 15. Many believe that he dominated the other males using
sheer persistence. He was known for getting up early in the
morning and knocking other chimps out of their nests! This persistence
helped him to regain the top position after Figan, the previous
alpha male, briefly battled his way back to the top.
Goblin finally lost his alpha status on October 25, 1989 when
he was viciously attacked by the other males. He escaped, but
it was only with the help of antibiotics administered by the
field staff that he managed to survive. He spent weeks alone,
resting, receiving medication, and running from other chimps
when he heard them coming. He finally returned to the group
when he was fully healed.
Since losing his top-ranking position, Goblin has always been
able to maintain a relatively high spot in the hierarchy by
establishing a relationship with the alpha male. Goblin spends
a great deal of time with the alpha, grooming him, resting near
him and displaying at the same time. Because of this relationship,
the alpha male may support Goblin's squabbles with other males.
Other chimps may be less likely to retaliate against Goblin
if the alpha male is close by. A great example of this took
place in October, 2001. I was following Goblin, and he became
involved in a dispute between two other males. Sheldon and Wilkie
displayed at Goblin, and sent him screaming to the top of a
tree, where he sat for several minutes. Suddenly Goblin regained
his confidence, and displayed out of the tree, scattering Sheldon
and Wilkie. I was surprised at this turn of events, but soon
realized why he was able to intimidate these higher ranking
males. Frodo, the alpha male, had just arrived, and was sitting
quietly nearby. If Sheldon and Wilkie had attacked Goblin in
Frodo's presence, Frodo might have retaliated against them.
For the rest of the morning, Goblin groomed Frodo, and always
made sure that he was nearby.
Goblin quickly changes his alliances as soon as there is a
change of alpha male. In September, 1997, Goblin was spending
a lot of time with Freud, the alpha male. He helped to support
Freud against other males, and groomed him a great deal. However,
as soon as Freud lost his position to his younger brother Frodo,
Goblin immediately changed his behavior, left Freud, and began
forging an alliance with Frodo.
Anne writes:
I followed Goblin between the ages of 6 and 11 during my study
of adolescent behavior. Goblin was a much more political individual
than the other juvenile males, assiduously grooming adults of
both sexes. As he got older he began to shadow the alpha male,
Figan, following in his footsteps and displaying after him.
He groomed him often, and if a sudden move by Figan upset him,
he would scream and reach out to Figan for many minutes until
he received reassurance. As an adolescent, he began to challenge
adult females, including Patti. But he was particularly attached
to her and groomed and mated with her as much as possible. Jane
Goodall has described how Goblin eventually turned on his mentor,
Figan, and became alpha at the young age of 15 years.
Emily writes:
Goblin, formerly the oldest living male in the Kasekela community,
died in the summer of 2004 just shy of turning 40. To read more
about Goblin’s life, read the
Jane Goodall Institute's farewell to Goblin. |
