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Mahale
The air smells fresh and
sweet. There is a cool breeze that softens the sun’s
hot, relentless stare and brings with it the symphony of
sounds from the forest. The soothing sound of water
racing past rocks or falling on leaves create a base on
which all of nature builds. Birds chirp, leaves rustle,
and insects hum. These sounds combining to create a
masterful arrangement of music, not even Beethoven
himself could have written. The blue of the sky and the
greens of the forest create a beautiful backdrop to the
performance that is taking place. Each animal has a
role to play and when each role is done together the
delicate balance of life is kept in check, all nature in
perfect synchronicity. The Earth is alive and at this
moment all of my senses are immersed. I hear, smell,
touch, taste, and see beauty all around me. I breathe
it all in and I know this is where I belong.
The place I am
describing is Mahale National Park in Tanzania, Africa.
This place is one of spectacular beauty, unparalleled by
other places around the world. Many species of animals
call this place home including the chimpanzee. These
remarkable primates share many similarities, both
behaviorally and genetically, with humans making them
our closest cousins. Watching them play and interact
with each other and their environment made me realize
just how closely we relate. Observing chimpanzees at
Mahale was incredible. I have never felt that close to
an animal before. When I looked into their eyes, I saw
depth and emotion. It was as if I were looking into the
eyes of another human being. It was a profound moment
in which I realized that these chimpanzees were part of
my family. It is a moment that will stay with me
forever.
Mahale is home to a
great number of chimpanzees yet in the midst of this,
the number of chimpanzees in the wild is still very
small. Mahale is a place where chimpanzees can live
without the threat of death, be it through habitat lose,
or over hunting. By protecting the chimpanzees, Mahale
is also protecting many other species of mammals, birds,
plants, and fungus that can only be found in this small
region of the world. In the end, by protecting the
chimps, other species will be protected and biodiversity
will be allowed to flourish. Chimpanzees are why I came
to this part of the world, and I fell in love with
them. However, I also fell in love with the great
biodiversity that can be found in Mahale. I urge you to
spend more time in nature, immerse yourself in it, and I
guarantee that you will feel a deeper connection than
you have before with the natural world, and if you get
the chance to come to Mahale, make the trip. This
beautiful piece of paradise will help you fall in love
with chimpanzees, biodiversity, and nature as a whole.
Gombe
Sweat drips off my
forehead, my legs ache, and my lungs are working
overtime to deliver much needed oxygen to my sore
muscles. However, none of this matters anymore because
I am standing on a peak overlooking the lush, green
hills of Gombe National Park. The peak that I have
arrived at is called Jane’s Peak, named after Jane
Goodall, the famous chimpanzee researcher who was the
first one to study chimpanzee behavior in Gombe. It was
here that Jane climbed each morning to observe the
sights and sounds of the forest below, and it is here
now that I look upon the beauty that is before me.
Gombe is one of the
smallest national parks in Tanzania, a lush, forest
world amidst the world of humans. However, even though
the park is small, it holds something very precious –
chimpanzees. It was first Jane Goodall who came to
study these amazing creatures at Gombe in 1960. Since
then, there have been many people following in the path
of Jane, flocking to Gombe in order to observe and
research the behaviors of the chimpanzees.
While observing the
chimps, it felt as if I were walking in Jane Goodall’s
footprints. Watching the chimps she had talked so much
about brought me back to 1960 and I was there with the
young Jane. I kept imagining what it must have been
like for her then, alone in the wild with no idea how to
begin her research and even what to research. Like
Jane, I became drawn to the mother/baby dynamic. The
mother’s we observed were very protective over their
babies and would come to their aide when the baby raised
even the smallest alarm. The young chimpanzees favored
independence and would often explore their surroundings
and play with other young chimps. However at any sign
of danger, they would go running back to their mothers.
This behavior reminds me of human mother/child
interactions and cements further in my mind how closely
related we really are. These creatures are very special
to me, as they are to Jane Goodall. IN my heart, I know
how important these chimpanzees are to our human
identity and it is my goal to make this known in all
hearts and minds, just as it is Jane’s goal. I want
this indescribable beauty to remain undisturbed so that
future generations can fall in love with the chimpanzees
and other wildlife just as Jaen and I have. I remember
my experience at Jane’s Peak and I hope that more people
will experience what I have. Looking out at vast beauty
and biodiversity and realize that this place is a
treasure and deserves to be saved and conserved for many
people to enjoy.
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