By Suleman Juma, Tracker - Greystoke MahaleCarmen, a juvenile female born to an old female Calliope, was recently seen happily playing with a stone. An object not commonly used by chimpanzees as a play object, but rather used as a tool especially by the adult males when charging others or displaying before others to show off their strength. Juveniles also use stones to evoke fighting with their peers.
That day Carmen was seen taking a stone of about 2 or 3 kilograms in both hands while she lay on her back. Holding it with her hands stretched straight, she raised her feet up and put the stone on her feet, and then bent her knees bringing her feet down to her stomach, with the stone, and then raising her legs straight again. She then took it in her hands, before placing it again on her feet and once more raising her legs. She did that repeatedly for about 6 minutes, after which time she dropped the stone down, stood up and picked it up again but this time she put on her back and carried it as if she was carrying a baby. After walking for about 4 metres she dropped it down when Liz, a juvenile female of her age, came to play with her. She didn’t pay further attention to the stone, instead the two engaged in a brief play, wrestling one another before they went into some thick bush.
