July 28th: 9:11am
Because of a large group of volunteers coming out today to the UWEC, our team has been relocated to a collection of bandas on the outskirts of the grounds. We're all really excited about that, as it means that after dinner we will be able to take a hot shower for the first time since most of us left home!
The meeting that Alasdair (PH director), Connor (Graphic Designer) and I had with CSWCT (Chimpanzee Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Trust) and the JGI (Jane Goodall Institute) director went really well. They had some different ideas for the posters/banners and we were able to develop a game plan for the next month to finish them. Although they were receptive to photographing the amputee chimp for the first poster, they preferred that we photographed a specific chimp on Ngamba Island. We are entertaining the idea of using "before" shots of a chimp when it is admitted to the Island (often times they are diseased, emaciated, lethargic) and a large photograph of an "after" shot, once it is healthy and happy either in the foliage or interacting with a staff member. Al and I were a bit worried that their "before" shots wouldn't have a high enough resolution or sharpness to blow up on a banner, so I will be photographing the amputee chimp today when I accompany the JGI director to her quarantine site. This weekend, they will be releasing her back into the wild, and they expressed interest in me accompanying them to the release site to photograph. The problem is, we will be loading up and moving out to Kibale Forest on Friday.. they will then need to arrange transport for me for the +4 hour journey to the release site. But what an amazing event that will be to photograph! I hope it all works out!
I'm getting really excited about heading out to Kibale. It will take us a day or two in the truck before we get there. But I'm looking forward to being in the rainforest with loads of wildlife around. They have a very large native Chimp population there and where we will be camping, an area called "Chimps Nest", they say that they have Chimps that come through the camp site fairly regularly. That is exciting, but a little scary also. Although I was aware of the danger of working around non-human primates, I didn't realize how nervous it would actually make me. The Vervet monkeys are plentiful around our quarters at UWEC. Yesterday, I headed out to photograph the Chimpanzees during sweet light and was walking down a little trail that leads around their island. Out of nowhere, Vervet monkeys started popping up all around me. Because quite a few of the females have infants clinging to their stomachs, the males become very territorial and protective. One of them tried to yank my camera out of my hands a few days ago while I was photographing. Apparently, they are not afraid of female (humans) at all, and I had to get David to stand in between me and the monkey to get him to back down. Most of the time, they go about their business and ignore you completely, but when I was alone on the trail yesterday and suddenly surrounded, I surprised myself by how nervous I felt!
Yesterday, a few members of the Anthro team were interviewing a Chimp care taker here at UWEC and were lucky enough to be able to go "behind the scenes" and hold the Chimp's hands. They really shouldn't allow that.. not just because it's dangerous, but because of disease transmission. But a couple other Anthro members are headed back over there today to finish the interview and I will be tagging along to photograph. If the opportunity presents itself, I can't say that I would turn it down!
