Kasoje Forest

By Lazaro George - Guide, Greystoke Mahale

It was 20th of September 2009 rain started here in Mahale Mountain National Park before that day it was very dry everywhere. Within one week the new shoots started to set up although the rain stopped for a short time. It was a good time to spot the other primates from far away feeding on new leaves at the time.

Actually west Tanzania especially along lake Tanganyika, the rainy season lasts a long time compared to other places here in Tanzania. Most of the time of the year, all mountains look green and the forest is very dense.

We normally take the people to the middle of the lake where we are enjoying a lovely view from both sides of the lake. We also enjoy to be at a place like this without seeing any other people or boats around

New baby in Mahale

By Vianney J. Kabwine– Guide, Greystoke Mahale

In Most of the chimpanzee’s communities, Female chimpanzees can easily migrate to other communities without any problem. It is very easy for them especially when they are on estrus because for the chimpanzees when a female is in estrus it’s only the alpha male who has the first privilege of mating with her, So that means if she is an immigrant to another community and she is in estrus she will be well protected by him from those jealousy female.

In the M-community we have several females who have migrated from other communities, Omo, Vera and Ua are recently immigrant females.  Among these females one of them was noticed as pregnant for a long time. She was seen within the group, but on the first week of December one of these immigrant females who is pregnant was not seen with other chimpanzees.

On the 13^th December, She was seen again accompanied by the alpha male (Pimu), No2 (Alofu) and the king maker or Prime Minister Kalunde. She had a new baby with her. Vera one of the immigrant females has brought a new baby to the chimpanzees of M-community. She was sitting next to the big males for her baby`s security because no other males will be able to do any charging displays in front of the big males especially in front of the alpha male. She was holding her baby with her hands, also attach the baby on her belly, she was very protective as if a human being is holding an egg. We didn’t even have a chance to take photos of the baby and even tell the sex; however we got few chances of seeing the face

Adult chimp steals baby colobus

By Gabriel Mushi - Guide, Greystoke Mahale

In October this year, I was out in the forest viewing chimpanzees. It was a tough day to initially locate chimpanzees and we waited in camp for several hours without hearing a word from our trackers who always go ahead earlier in the morning to find chimpanzees and radio through camp when they found them. Around ten in the morning when I was about to propose to do a different activity, I received a word from our trackers that a small group of chimpanzees was located.

We set out toward where they were, soon we received the news. We walked a pretty distance from camp before getting where they were. We found a group of four chimpanzees; Abi and her baby, Darwin and Kalunde. Abi and her baby were in one tree; Darwin and Kalunde were in another tree some distance away. In that same area, there was a small troop of red colobus up in the canopies of tall trees. Repeatedly the colobus gave sui-suiii alarm calls, warning one another of the danger around.

In a canopy of one tree, very close to where Abi was sitting—a red colobus was hiding with a tiny baby. We did not notice, that there was a colobus in that tree--until we saw her trying to escape when Abi was leaping to a canopy she was hiding in it. It appears that Abi had spotted that red colobus long before we got there, and it appeared that she was aiming to grab the baby red colobus clinging to her mother’s belly. Abi, leapt to that red colobus’s hiding site, and grabbed the adult colobus by her neck and tail—and moved her sideways to expose the tiny baby colobus clinging on her mother belly. In that position the baby colobus was grabbed by Abi easily and she ran away with it, leaving the mother red colobus screaming loudly.

That action was quick, well planned and very efficient. The screaming drew attention of Darwin and Kalunde who responded by running toward where the screaming was coming from. When Darwin and Kalunde got there it was too late, Abi had got the baby and had already ran away with it. The mother red colobus, seeing those adult males getting closer to her, she ran away screaming and join other colobus, who by then had started to flee away themselves.

Bush pigs in Mahale

By Vianney Jacob, Guide - Greystoke Mahale

Apart from Chimpanzees tracking in Mahale Mountains National Park there are other Animals that a person can look for. Bushbucks, Warthogs, Yellow Baboons, Red tailed monkeys are some of the animals that you will see while tracking the chimpanzees in Mahale National Park.

Most of the times while walking through the lower part of the forest, you will see a lot of dung on the trails. Some of them can be fresh and some dry. Most of the times the dung brings a discussion while walking through forest.

Bush Pigs are not often seen during the day, they come out of their holes or hiding places at night but sometimes you can only see them when they hear you coming and run away from their hiding places. But at Greystoke Camp area is different, normally from 7:30pm they always come behind the staff  kitchen and feed on  roots or sometimes seen wandering up and down looking for food near the kitchen or even near the guests room you can still hear them feeding. Getting close to them and look at them also creates another impression. You can get close to up to 40 meters but you will have to stand against the wind because they have a strong sense of smell that will alert them of your presence. It’s so amazing to see these animals during the night after you have seen the dung during the day. Bush pigs are not seen that often in other parks but you could see them here in mahale especially at Greystoke Mahale.