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Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Essay / Field Notes

Spend a Day Tracking Chimpanzees

A series of short videos captures a rare view into the lives of wild chimps through the eyes of a researcher.
By Kirsty Graham
1 Nov 2023
Two black-haired chimpanzees lie on the dirt ground in front of a blurred background of brown rocks and green, leafy trees.

A pair of chimpanzees relax in the savanna of Fongoli, Senegal.

John Brown/Getty Images

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Some see chimpanzees as invariably belligerent creatures. They kick, bite, and sometimes kill fellow chimps in disputes over mates, food, and territory. While researchers mostly try to avoid casting moral judgments on animal behavior, aspects of their work can still creep into public opinion, pinning a bad reputation onto chimps.

This impression mostly stems from popular accounts of specific research that focused on aggression and male hierarchy in a few chimp (Pan troglodytes) communities in Uganda and Tanzania. It’s not the whole story for those chimp groups or the species in general.

Through my fieldwork in Fongoli, Senegal, I have witnessed P. troglodytes’ more sociable side—and lives that are variably playful, restful, stressful, and fascinating.

Join me for a day of field research with the Fongoli chimps. Following a group from dawn to dusk, my videos show chimps swinging and splashing for fun, communicating with gestures, and fashioning tools to capture snacks. The footage reflects the rhythm of their daily lives—and what it’s like for me and other researchers who trail them.

We wake up between 4:45 and 5:00 a.m.

When the Fongoli chimps first wake up, they come onto the open plains.

Around 7:00 a.m., they start looking for breakfast.

By about 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., the chimps seek shady spots to rest.

They get creative with their play.

They use gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions to communicate.

When it starts to cool off in the afternoon, the chimps search for snacks.

At the end of the day, the chimps build their sleeping nests.

A person with chin-length hair and a pink blazer looks at the camera.
Kirsty Graham

Kirsty Graham is an animal behavior researcher who studies how primates use gestures to communicate. They are currently a research fellow at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, trying to understand bonobo and western chimpanzee gestures and displays. They are a member of their union’s (UCU) branch committee and an organizer with the Animal Behaviour Collective. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky @kirstyegraham.

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