It is 7pm and the rain is bucketing down. Not a good taste of what we are embarking on at 4 am the next morning, a walk inside the jungle to see chimpanzees in the wild. I awake predawn, the rain has stopped and it is surprisingly mild. It is with much anticipation that I pack and board our bus for the 1 hour bumpy ride to the trail head where our trackers are tracking the chimps.
A one hour steep climb along a rough track takes us to the patch of virgin jungle with the chimpanzees. I tread carefully through the thick undergrowth, there is no semblance of a track here. High up in the forest canopy I spot my first chimp. Then, as my eyes adjust I see another and then a mother with baby climbing on the branches and eating leaves. They are distant sightings and photography is useless but I here in the wild with them and that of itself is special. Then, in the blink of an eye, our luck changes.
A large grey chimp decides to hang off a branch before shimmying down the tree. Soon others follow and suddenly they are at ground level. One large male sets himself on the ground chomping away at the leaves. Cautiously I approach easing my way ever closer until I am almost just 1 metre away from him. While these animals are wild they are habituated to humans and he doesn’t show any signs of anxiety or move. He is too busy eating. It seemed forever that I stood watching moved and mesmerised by the experience. I put my camera down and just take in the special wildlife encounter that I am privileged to be part of.
One of my group reminds me to take some video footage, not just stills. I realised that I have neglected to do this and switch it on. Serendipity intervenes for after 30 seconds of filming his eating he erupts into whooping noises and leaps up. Fearing retaliation I turn and retreat but he merely jumps away and summons the other chimps to follow.
Our small group takes leave and emerges from the jungle elated at being part of this very special experience.