4 Chapter 3 Life in the Wild

Chapter 3 Life in the Wild What was it like to live at Gombe Stream in 1960?

Steel-gray mountains rose up from the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. In the valleys between the slopes were forests. It was completely wild. There were no tourists, no safari groups with cameras, and no fancy lodges to stay in. Jane lived near the lake in a little clearing by a small stream. She was cut off from the rest of the world. Even the town of Kigoma was an hour boat ride away. Who besides Jane lived at the campsite? In addition to a cook named Dominic, there was one very important person. Jane's mother, Vanne. Vanne stayed with Jane for the first four months at Gombe. Mother and daughter lived in the same old army tent together. It had two cots and a separate area for washing up. Mosquito netting covered the front of the tent. Their toilet was outside. It was a deep hole surrounded by a fence. Vanne was a middle-aged woman. Living like this was hard for Jane; it had to be twice as hard for Vanne. Yet officials in Africa had refused to let Jane go off alone to Gombe. They were worried about the safety of a young woman living alone.

There was no way Vanne was going to let Jane pass up this chance to live with the chimps. Already past fifty, Vanne packed up for Africa. It is easy to see where Jane's bravery came from! Having Vanne share those first months meant so much to Jane. It was better than having a best friend along! In the evening when she returned to camp, Vanne was there. They'd have dinner and chat. Vanne kept Jane company while she wrote up her notes from that day. At first she wrote by

hand on lined paper. Later she got a portable typewriter. What did Vanne do all day while Jane was out exploring? Vanne set up a little clinic. She provided basic health care to the local families. She handed out aspirin and cleaned cuts. Sometimes she helped deliver babies! About once every two weeks, Jane and Vanne went by boat into Kigoma. In town, they picked up mail and enough food and supplies to last until the next trip. They'd stock up on eggs, baked beans, and sausages. At the fruit and vegetable market, they bought bananas, green and yellow oranges, and passion fruit.

Two African scouts lived in huts not far from Jane's camp. One always made the trip into Kigoma with Jane and Vanne. It was not considered proper for two white women to travel alone! The main job of the scouts was to help Jane find her way through the forests. These forests were home to the chimpanzees. Jane, however, did not like having a scout along. Why? Two people made more noise than one person alone in the forest. And noises scared away the chimps. Also, the scouts didn't like to start off as early as Jane. She was always up before dawn! And often the scouts wanted to head back to camp way before Jane did. So after a while, the scouts let Jane explore by herself. Now she was free to go at her own pace. Sometimes she sat on the ground. Sometimes she perched in trees. She could stay overnight if she wanted. Plus, being alone made it easier to remain unseen by the chimps.

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