In Afr~ with J Alu chi1 beh - -- by Lau ica I--- ,-.--a- lallt: uuuua m studies "'P lavior Ira Jacobson Crawli dense UI lungle m a swell r Yeutter ( kprner I ng on your belly through the lderbrush of an African av not be evervone's ~deaof racatlon, but lo; Marlanne 76). Wash~ngtonPark Zoo ..,. . the experrence was Ilke a dream come true Yeuner recentlvwent three weeks worn nq sqoe-bb-sdd WI I ~ tamo~s pr mat. rest?arcner Dr Jane Gooaalh Inanqs lo a oran* tvom the Sm~thson~an~lnst~tut~on The 32-year-old pnmate keeper loined Gwdall in her study of chimpanzee behav~orIn Tanzan~a nd spent another three weeks tour~noeioht zoos In Europe " ~< "The high point of the trip was Africa." Mariannesaid. She malored in cultural anthropology while at PSU, and also had a Work-Studyjob at the zoo working w~th ch~mpanzeesFrom 1975 to 1981. been a onmate keeoer for the oast I I - . , - . "What I wanted to do all my life was to go to Africa and study people Then I staned workino wlth the ChlmDS and that chatioed Tne Alican adventure began when she steppea on Ihe plane a1 'he afrpon In Uar es Salaam. one of onlf two alroons wlln a cvnenl runwav n ~anzan~Ma.arranne recalled feeling overwhelmed by Ihe heat at llrst "It was so hot that I didn't think I would be able to breathe. ' However, there was a sutoe of excitement as she was met bi the oerson shehad come to ~ h i ctao see. Jane Goodall. To reach Gombe Slream Research Center, where Goodall has conducted researchon ch~mp behavlor lor the last 22 years, they had to fly 800 miles to K~goma.then traveled north on Lake Tanganylka to Gombe Stream Park in a small boat. "It was very vlvld, very dramallc." said Marlanne,eyes distant as she recalled the scene "From Klgoma, -11 *ho '"sy to the border of Gombe Flfl groom67-monthold daughter Fannl, while 5%year old son Frodo rests marby chimD behavtor In Gombe Stream Research Center. lnne whlle obren Marianne Yeunel park border," <he cont6ued: "agriculture has wiped out what was jungle." The 30-square mile Gombe Park was farm land until about 1945. when 11was set aside as a park. Marlanne said it was Ir~ghtenmglor her to realize how fraglle the habitat is. "If the Tanzanian government decided they wanted that land back lor farm land. lhat would be the end of all those ch~mps:' "But once you hit the border of the park," she sald, wllh renewed excitement. "it's lusl lush, jungle ve etatton. It's really beautrfui." 8bservers customarily start watchlnq chlmps at the banana leed~ngstatron set up In the reserve From here an observer "tr~es'to follow them for a mlnlmum of twn hours collectrngdata at one m~nute rntervals Its lust like we do at the zoo Mar~annesala Only at Ihe same Ifme you're lryfng to,scramble L.D the sde ol a mo..nla n . . ..... - . . - "One thing I learned IS that chimps often go places lhat are really hard lor people to follow." she laughed "Go~ngthrough very dense vegetation, we had lo crawl on our bellies a lot of the tlme. Our hair would get pulled out, our clothes rlpved, and our arms all scratched up Tne camera ohen qol tang ed In Ine branches, an0 4 0 be gong Ice mad lrytng lo keep up alth 1-e cn mps mJ ring "I was supwsed to be lookina at my watch every minute. and thrirugh the mlnute, and taking pictures and keeoino un wlth the chimns S ~ P s a ~ da: she cauoht her G a t h aid lauohed aqaln ''ill this all at once." t?ar ann6 nopes lo ncorporate some of her nev* dnoerslandlngof ch mp benavoor n the wl a N th ch -no te n Ine zoo Srle a so pans to aoply Goooar s Molrer-ln'an! ctnocram .a sqslcmallc istnng of se c c ~soc a wnavtors, wtn tne zoos cnomp co ectton Goooa has encouraged Nar anne to co 'aborale on comodrattre S:La e9 01 can*ve versus wtld chimpanzees. Before traveling lo Goodall's stallon In Tanzania. Mar~annetoured eight Europeanzoos seeklng new research techniques and alternate ways of keep~ngchlmps. in Europe, Marranne learned that the new quoner.acrr Crimp s and at Wasn ngton Par<Zou nas orought Pon an0 new anent on as a wnter for pr male resea.cn The h%o--l' on-do a, pro.ecl whch lola ;v 'enovaled tne pr mate factllly. .s ga nmg recogn! on as one of tie best lac t es ot 1s type In the nat on Goodall will be in Portland Friday. Apnl 30, to present an illustrated lecture at Benson High School al 0.m Her toDic wlll be "Chimoanr i-lunter and'~oolMaker T~cketsare ava~lableat the PS Box Offlce and at the Washlngtol Park Zoo. For more ~nfocall 229-4440 or 226-1561.
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