by Elizabeth Vinson Lonsdorf:
When I first started going to Gombe, Sandi was the most
timid and shy mother that I studied. I remember one day, as I was following her, she met up with a large group
of chimps that included Fifi's family. Sandi's son, Sampson,
clearly wanted to play with some of Fifi's kids, but every
time he tried to go to them and get involved in their play,
Sandi scurried down the tree, pulled him out of the play
session, and moved safely back up into the tree. Poor
Sampson didn't get to have much fun that year. However, by
the next year, Sandi had undergone an amazing
transformation. While she was still a bit shy around
humans, she had finally gotten comfortable enough to let
Sampson romp and play like a normal, young chimp. One day,
I even saw Sampson jump down out of a tree onto the alpha
male's back and start playing with him. I looked around
to see Sandi's reaction and she was happily munching on
fruit, totally unconcerned. Who knows what happened to
make Sandi relax, but I'm sure her son appreciates it.
by
Joann Schumacher-Stankey:
Sandi is one of the shyer females at Gombe. She grew up in
the group, but her mother was not very social and as a result,
she remains a bit timid. Sandi is still quite close to her mother,
Sparrow, and the two seem to prefer each other's company over
anyone else's. She used to be very nervous around large groups
of chimps and even tried to prevent her offspring from playing
with others. However, she has become much more confident, and
as a result, her offspring have blossomed. Daughter Sherehe
now has a baby of her own, Shangaa. Sandi's son Sampson loves
to be in the thick of things, even being so bold as to jump
on the alpha male's back and invite him to play! Youngest daughter,
Samwise, loves roughhousing with her uncle Sindbad (who is the
same age!).
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