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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Graduate researcher Matt Heintz provides highlights from his six months studying chimpanzee play in Gombe National Park. View the slideshow!
PermalinkMonday, December 21, 2009
A Wonderful Morning with the Chimpanzees
The rest of the Lincoln Park Zoo crew arrived a couple days ago, including Dominic Travis, D.V.M., Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., Felix Lankester, D.V.M., and Colleen O’Donnell. We spent the entire day meeting with our partners at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Gombe Stream Research Centre to review progress on various health, endocrine and training initiatives.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
I’m now in Gombe, which I’m finding very difficult to compare to Serengeti. Gombe is gorgeous, although it’s way more compact and there’s much less biodiversity. In the way of animals, I have only seen insects, toads and baboons down near camp. There are very few birds here because they can’t really lay eggs, as the chimpanzees would easily find them and feast on them.
I was able to go hiking up the rift this morning to go “chimping,” which means hiking up a steep rift through forest for about an hour-and-a-half until we reach the chimps. Every hike is led by a field guide, who most of the time doubles as a researcher, collecting data for Lincoln Park Zoo behavior and health projects. Our guide, Matendo, has worked with the project for many years now and can easily identify each chimp by name on sight.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Today our goal was to climb up to the eastern border of the park, which is the rift escarpment. The climb is basically straight up for two hours but has beautiful views of most of the park once you reach the peak.
Friday, December 11, 2009
After three straight days of traveling, I’ve just finished my first full day back in Gombe National Park in two years. (I had to take a small break from the field to welcome my second child.)
It’s absolutely great to be back, and we have a good-sized Lincoln Park Zoo contingent here right now. Carson Murray, our postdoctoral fellow, is here working on our maternal stress project, Emma Lantz, our Fulbright scholar, is studying the interaction of stress and parasites, and our consulting parasitologist, Tom Gillespie, Ph.D., from Emory University, has joined us for the trip as well.
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Gombe Field Diaries
Lincoln Park Zoo is partnering with the Jane Goodall Institute to study and conserve chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, the site of Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking research. Our Gombe field diaries feature updates as scientists monitor chimpanzee health, study ape behavior and experience life in Gombe.
Staff Bios
Dominic Travis, D.V.M., M.S.
Lincoln Park Zoo's Vice President of Conservation & Science, Travis oversees zoo conservation efforts such as the Gombe Ecosystem Health Project and researches zoonotic diseases with the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology.
Elizabeth Lonsdorf
As director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lonsdorf leads Lincoln Park Zoo efforts in Gombe National Park.
Rachel Santymire, Ph.D.
An endocrinologist in the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Santymire studies stress and reproduction in Gombe's chipmanzees.
Matt Heintz
A graduate student in the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago, Matt is studying how levels of play in Gombe¹s chimpanzees influence stress, development and reproductive success.
Lincoln Park Zoo Conservation & Science
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Blog Categories
Conservation Field Diaries
Gombe Field Diaries
Serengeti Field Diaries
Goualougo Triangle Field Diaries
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