I am now on the final month of my first field season, so all of the “lasts” are beginning to occur. I just went to town for my last round of errands, one of which was to pick up two care packages. Picking up packages is a mini-adventure of multiple visits to customs and post offices, making it just that much more worth it when you finally get the tasty treats inside.

There are tasty treats here too, of course. Mangos are now beginning to fruit, although they are not quite ripe. Hopefully before all of my “lasts” run out, I’ll be able to get my fill of them. Pineapples, however, are available and are ripe and delicious. After picking up my package, I enjoyed some chai, maandazi (semi-sweet donuts) and half a pineapple. I would have tried to eat the second half, but I was about to begin a two-hour boat ride back to Gombe, and the first part of the trip can be a little choppy.

While the mangos are not ripe yet, this has not stopped the chimpanzees from eating them. Although I’m not sure why, I have tried a green mango, and they are not tasty at all. This has been fine with me, though, because the mango trees are located near the beach, so this means minimal climbing. Mango trees are large trees, so it is a neat sight to see about 20 or so chimpanzees feasting on mangos in the tree and on the ground.

Tubi eating a green mango

After a big feast of mangos, usually in the mornings, the chimpanzees usually rest some. This brings me to an observation I have had about chimpanzees: their lives revolve around food (group composition in Gombe is largely driven by food and female estrous cycles). Chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent individuals and exhibit complex social behaviors, but I have fun breaking down their day as follows. Chimpanzees spend a large amount of time eating. Afterwards they rest for a while because they ate so much. Then, after resting, they travel to look for more food. This cycle repeats itself a few times over the course of the day.

With the arrival of packages from my parents and researchers at Lincoln Park Zoo, I will be able to feast as well and eat like an alpha male. Receiving items high in protein, like beef jerky, are very helpful for providing sustainable energy to handle the forest. But it is also great to receive cereal as well, and it is amazing how wonderful the foods you miss taste when it has been five months since you have been able to consume them.

Matt Heintz