The Original Mahale Camp
Greystoke Mahale is nestled on a white sand beach in Lake Tanganyika. Towering behind the lodge are the Mahale Mountains, home to one of the largest known populations of wild Chimpanzees left on our planet.
Sun, Feb 19, 2012
Introductions
While Steve and Kiri are away for some well-deserved off days, we'll keep updating you on the goings on at Mahale.
Yesterday we met Bonobo...
and old Kalunde sat nearby, pensive...
Yesterday we met Bonobo...
and old Kalunde sat nearby, pensive...
while Alofu, Primus's rival, made a face for the camera.
Primus, the possible new Alpha male, was not among them.
We'll keep you posted.
From Greystoke,
Mark and Kristen
Sat, Feb 11, 2012
A peaceful time in the forest.
Chimpanzees will only eat fruit if it is perfectly ripe. This means they can travel long distances on any given day looking for the choicest fruits. Right now there favorite the Saba Florida fruit is running out so the community is splitting up into smaller friend and family units in search of different berries and wild Ginger.
It’s a peaceful time for the Chimpanzees as there is less confrontation as they travel in smaller groups. Primus looks settled and happy in his Alpha male position.
Wed, Feb 8, 2012
Wedding bells
When you come to Greystoke Mahale and trek to see the Chimpanzees, you will find Hassan Rashid in the forest following the Chimpanzee community. Hassan is one of the world most experienced Chimp Trackers and is an essential part of our guiding team. With over 10 years experience his ability to find and follow the Chimps is incredible, he can also recognize individual Chimps by their vocalizations alone and can understand several different vocalizations and what they mean.
Congratulations to Hassan and his lovely bride on their recent wedding.
Fri, Feb 3, 2012
Mahale sunsets
During February it’s typical for it to rain 2 or 3 times a week but the showers don’t usually last more than an hour or two. When the sky clears the rain has washed away the haze and sometimes we are privileged to see the most spectacular sunsets.
Tue, Jan 31, 2012
The Red Tailed monkey.
You get no prizes for guessing why one of our regular camp visitors is called the Red Tail monkey. I think they are one of the cutest primates and when alarmed give off a chirping vocalization that reminds me of a bird.
Sat, Jan 28, 2012
Primus the Alpha male!
The Chimps moved up the mountain yesterday to feed on wild ginger. They snap the stalk off at the base then peel the green outer layer to get to the tasty center. Primus was certainly the acting Alpha male, he was being very protective of Effie who is in Estrous and kept her high up a big fig tree away from the other males.
Every 10 or so minutes one of the guys would display next to us by beating the ground and shaking vines, asking Primus to share the very popular Effie. Primus was having none of it. Alofu was no where to be seen.
Christina's baby watches mum feeding on wild ginger.
Carter watches Primus and Effie up the tree, waiting for his turn.
Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Christina’s baby girl.
Text books tell us that around 50% of Chimpanzee babies die before the age of 3 years. This high infant mortality is usually due to diseases such as the common cold and influenza. With out modern medicine human baby mortality is also very high.
Of the 12 Mahale Chimpanzee babies under 3 years, only one baby is in trouble. Christina’s girl is nearing one and has struggled for 6 months with a stomach tumor. She is very weak but continues hanging onto life. We hope she pulls through.
Mon, Jan 23, 2012
The cleanest Hippo’s in Africa?
Lake Tanganyika is renowned for its clarity which can reach up to 20 meters. The Mahale National Park includes 100 square kilometers of marine reserve which stretches the length of the Park. Before the Park was created the local villagers that lived along the lake persecuted the hippo population so that when Greystoke Mahale was built there were no Hippos in the area.
Slowly the population is recovering and there are now 11 Hippopotamus living 20 minutes boat journey South of the lodge. I like to think of them as the cleanest Hippos in Africa. Chris Liedenberg used his underwater camera attached to a makeshift pole to take some amazing photos of the Mahale Hippos.
Sun, Jan 22, 2012
Super Cockroach
At nearly 3 inches long this crazy bug is of the cockroach species and looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Don’t worry he is not the type that scurries around the house but prefers living in the lush forest.
We found him passed away on the beach.
Fri, Jan 20, 2012
The verdant forest
In January and February Mahale can be a photographers dream. The colors in the forest are vivid as life germinates almost everywhere. As a bonus the Chimpanzees favorite foods are close to camp.
Photos by Richard Knocker.
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