by Jane Goodall
Throughout that entire skirmish, big brother Faben had watched from his nest. I wonder if Figan would have dared attack his powerful adversary had Faben not been present? I suspect not. As it was, he surely knew that Faben would have helped him if he needed it. Perhaps more importantly, Humphrey knew it too.
After that decisive victory, a triumph watched by more than half the members of the Kasekela community, Figan's top rank seemed assured. But although he now accepted Humphrey's show of deference quite calmly, almost as his due, Evered, it seemed, was still perceived as a threat. After all, he had been dominant to Figan for years, and during his long quest for power had shown far greater persistence and vigour than had Humphrey. The grand finale came towards the end of May and, as before, Faben supported Figan throughout.
It took place on a hot, humid afternoon. The two brothers were feeding peacefully when Evered's distinctive pant-hoots sounded from the far side of the valley. They glanced at one another, their hair bristled, and they grinned widely in excitement. Then, leaping to the ground, they raced off in the direction from which the calls had come. They found Evered in a tree on a steep hillside. Terrified, he crouched there as the brothers charged back and forth below, dragging branches and hurling rocks. Then, as one, they leapt up into the tree and threw themselves on their victim. Locked together, grappling, the three males fell to the ground and Evered managed to break free. He fled some way up the hillside, then took refuge in another tree. The brothers followed and, for the next hour, displayed on and off below him. Poor Evered, there he stayed, occasionally whimpering and screaming in fear until, at last, Figan and Faben moved away. Not until they were some distance away and out of sight did Evered dare to climb silently from the tree and make his escape.
Figan had made it to the top.
6. POWER
IT IS ONE THING to rise to the top-ranking position of a community. It is another matter to remain on top day after day, month after month. Figan had attained his goal thanks to the support of his brother—and Faben would not always be around, for every hour of every day. How would Figan manage then if one of the other males should challenge the new order?
The test came all too soon when Faben, involved in romantic dalliance with a female, vanished for three whole weeks to the northern part of the community range. Figan was extremely worried—and rightly so, for Humphrey and Evered might well have challenged their new alpha had they realized that his ally was so far away. Every so often Figan would climb a tall tree and, from the higher branches, gaze out in all directions as through searching for signs of his missing brother. Occasionally he would give the long, loud screaming calls that serve to attract the attention of friends in times of need—SOS screams, we call them. But Faben was too far away to hear and Figan was forced to rely on his own resources.
It reminded me vividly of the time when, at the beginning of Mike's reign as alpha, we had removed his tin cans: for he had relied on them during his struggle for supremacy much as Figan had relied on Faben. In his effort to compensate for their loss Mike had expended huge efforts to make his displays impressive in other ways. He had hurled the very biggest rocks, dragged and flailed enormous branches—even two branches at a time. Once as he rushed towards a group of adult males with a palm frond in each hand, he had actually paused to gather up yet a third. Only very gradually had Mike relaxed, realizing that even without his precious cans he still held the respect of the other males.
And now, ten years later, Figan responded to a similar challenge in much the same way. The frequency and vigour of his charging displays increased dramatically, and he was a past master when it came to planning and executing these performances. Thus he would, if possible, move quietly upslope from some unsuspecting group, then charge down. Not only did this give him an element of surprise, but it enabled him to appear at his most impressive as he bore down upon the group, flat out, from above. And, of course, it is less tiring to run downhill; there will be more energy to spare if, in the face of any insubordination, it should be necessary to repeat the performance.
Most effective were his wild arboreal performances at the crack of dawn when it was still almost dark and the rest of the group was still abed. These caused pandemonium, with confused chimps screaming and hurling themselves from their nests. Back and forth, up and down—Figan leapt from branch to branch, shaking the vegetation, snapping great branches and, for good measure, pounding, from time to time, on some unfortunate subordinate. The confusion and the noise were unbelievable. And then, when it was all over, their new alpha, all bristling magnificence, would sit on the ground and, like some great tribal chief, receive the obeisance of his underlings.
And so, as a result of high motivation, determination and the expenditure of much physical effort, Figan stayed on top. And when Faben finally returned to the centre of the community range, Figan was able to relax and enjoy to the full the fruits of his labours—the respect of all the other members of his social group and the right of prior access to any feeding place or sexually attractive female that he fancied. Power.
One day, soon after Faben's return, I watched as the two brothers, who had been on their own for a while, approached three of the other males who were peacefully feeding on fallen fruits. As Figan, closely followed by Faben, charged towards them, all three screamed and rushed up trees. Their point made, the brothers sat with bristling hair and looked up into the branches above. Satan, a good deal larger than the new alpha, and in his prime, hastened down and, with loud panting-grunts of submission, pressed his mouth to Figan's thigh. And Figan, utterly relaxed, utterly self-confident, laid a munificent hand on the bowed head before him. Then, as Satan began to groom Figan, Jomeo and Humphrey also approached to pay their respects and, for a while, Figan was groomed by all three.
Faben, probably because of his paralysed arm, had never become a high-ranking male. But as brother of the alpha he was treated with a new respect by the other males—at least when Figan was around. Faben probably realized this quite quickly, for, after that initial three-week period in the north, he rarely spent more than a few days away from Figan.
Some adult males spend a good deal of time on their own—Mike, even when alpha, had sought occasional spells of solitude. But Figan, from earliest childhood, had wanted to be in the thick of things, been happiest when part of a noisy, excitable group—males, females, the more the better. And Faben, now that he was spending so much time with Figan, became more social too. The two brothers formed, in a way, the hub around which the wheel of society revolved. The other chimps, particularly the males, were fascinated as well as intimidated when Faben, charging along with his splendid upright gait, limp arm swinging, hair bristling, joined in the already impressive displays of their alpha.
For the first two years of his reign Figan held a position of almost absolute power in the community. This meant that he could, if he so wished, maintain all but exclusive mating rights over any female who caught his fancy. Once he had proclaimed his interest by threatening any would-be suitors who approached too closely, his mere presence, close to the lady friend of the moment, was usually sufficient to inhibit the sexual advances of the other males. He established a pattern, taking over the community females, one after the other, when they were at their most alluring—during the last four or five days of their swellings.
Faben's privileged position was very apparent at such times for Figan usually shared his sexual possessions with his brother much as he shared precious food items, such as meat. And Figan received a payoff for his generosity: Faben helped to keep an eye on the current lady friend when Figan was momentarily busy elsewhere. However, even Figan and Faben between them could not prevent their female from enjoying occasional clandestine intercourse with one or other of the frustrated lower-ranking males. Such opportunities arose when the attention of the alpha male and his brother was temporarily diverted. Once, for example, when Figan and Faben were intently watching a troop of colobus monkeys with an eye to acquiring monkey meat, thr
ee other males copulated with their female in quick succession: neither of the brothers even noticed!
It always surprised us that the females themselves were prepared to cooperate in these illicit affairs. Because when Figan did notice he would race towards the pair and, very often, bash the female for her faithlessness. This made more sense than attacking the rival male—for a skirmish of that sort would have left the female unguarded and available for yet another quick clandestine mating!
The male who sneaked the most copulations with Figan's females was adolescent Goblin. He was utterly fascinated by sex and, incidentally, utterly fascinated by Figan, too. Because he was not perceived as a rival (he was only nine years old when Figan came to power) Goblin was able to maintain surprisingly close proximity to the succession of females with whom the alpha male satisfied his sexual needs. Thus, even if Figan's attention was diverted but momentarily, Goblin was on hand to take advantage. And since the sexual act comprises no more than ten to twelve rapid pelvic thrusts, the briefest of opportunities sufficed—so long as the females cooperated, and for some reason they usually did. So closely did Goblin follow those tempting pink bottoms that he was occasionally able to snatch a few seconds of sexual gratification as Figan led the way through dense undergrowth.
Sometimes an adolescent male selects one of the senior males as his "hero." He is attentive to all of them, but it is his hero whom he watches most closely, and with whom he is most likely to travel when he leaves his family. Figan, without a shadow of doubt, was Goblin's hero. Often, after watching Figan closely, Goblin imitated his behaviour. One day I watched as Figan did a magnificent display, dragging a large branch, slapping and stamping on the ground, and drumming on the buttress of a large tree. Goblin, from a discreet distance, watched intently and then displayed in his turn, following the exact route that Figan had taken, dragging the self-same branch and drumming on the same tree. I was reminded of those times when Figan had practised with Mike's empty cans.
Figan, for his part, was remarkably tolerant of his small and persistent shadow, but very occasionally, when Goblin got too close—when he was feeding, for example—Figan threatened him mildly. This would throw Goblin, temporarily, into a frenzy of apology. Sometimes Figan supported his young friend if he got into trouble with other individuals. Little did any of us realize then the far-reaching consequences, both for Figan and for Goblin, of this special relationship between them.
Under the rule of a powerful male the conflicts between the other members of the community are kept to a minimum, for he uses his position to prevent too much fighting among his subordinates. What motivates him is not always clear. Sometimes there may be a genuine desire to help the underdog. At other times it may be that the alpha feels his position is challenged if another male initiates a fight. I remember once when Figan and Faben jointly attacked a female during the excitement of a reunion. But when, a few moments later, young Sherry attacked the same female, Figan, a picture of chivalry, raced over, bashed the aggressor and so "rescued" the female. But whatever the driving force behind Figan's interventions in the affairs of his underlings, his behaviour served to terminate countless squabbles. Moreover, I suspect that many would-be aggressors, anticipating the displeasure of their boss, exercised more self-restraint when he was around. Thus Figan, during the years of his power, helped to promote and maintain an atmosphere of social harmony among the members of his group.
During the second year of Figan's reign two of the students—David Riss and Curt Busse—asked me if they could follow Figan, monitor his movements, behaviour, and relationships with other chimpanzees, for fifty consecutive days. I was not sure. Perhaps this would be too much of an intrusion into his life, make him uneasy or irritable. But there was a precedent—six years earlier Flo had been followed for sixteen days in an attempt to witness the birth of her last infant (the attempt failed as the baby was born at night). Flo had not appeared to mind at all, and Figan was as tolerant of humans as she had been. And so I agreed—on condition that the follow be called off if Figan became upset.
The marathon began on 30 June 1974 and continued until 18 August. David and Curt, each accompanied by one of the field staff, spelled one another every four days, so that while one of them was clambering around the mountains after Figan the other was writing up the information he had collected—and resting after the arduous four days of following. The fifty days with Figan gave us invaluable data about the behaviour and social life of one of the most powerful top-ranking males Gombe has known, at a time when he was at the zenith of his career.
In those days, when all the students gathered together for dinner, there was a great exchange of information every evening. Many were the tales told around the tables in the mess. There were Caroline Tutin's accounts of the sex life of the various females, Anne Pusey's descriptions of adolescence, Richard Wrangham's stories of feeding and ranging behaviour, and countless anecdotes concerning the development of infants re-counted by the various young people involved in the long-term mother-infant study. And now we had, in addition, daily reports on Figan.
During the fifty days there were two sexually popular pink females, and Figan monopolized them one after the other. The first of these was Gigi. Large and sterile, Gigi, who has shown one sexual cycle after another since 1965, uninterrupted by pregnancy and childbirth, is, in many ways, rather masculine. She has a mind of her own and does not submit readily to male bullying. There was no doubt but that, during the days when she was fully pink, she controlled Figan's movements and thus those of his entire group. One day, for example, when the chimps were headed towards a stand of kifumbe fruits, Gigi suddenly left the trail and plunged into the undergrowth. Figan and Faben followed at once, while the others hung about, waiting. Some climbed to feed on other fruits nearby, the rest sat or lay on the ground.
Gigi made for a nest of siafu—those vicious, biting driver or army ants that are such a delicacy for the chimpanzee. Upon arrival at the site she broke a long straight branch from a nearby bush, removed the side branches, then carefully stripped the bark until she had made a smooth tool, about three feet long. She reached her hand a short way into the opening of the nest and, for a few seconds, dug frantically until the ants began to swarm out. Quickly she plunged her tool into the nest, waited for a moment, then withdrew it covered by a seething mass of ants. With rapid movements she swept the stick through her free hand, pushed the ant-mass into her mouth, and crunched vigorously. As the ants poured out of the nest in ever greater numbers, agitated by the intrusion, Gigi climbed a sapling nearby and, reaching down with her stick, continued her meal. Every so often she had to slap frantically at her feet and kick at the trunk to repel those ants that were finding their way to the source of the raid. Now that she was using one hand to hold onto the sapling while she fished with the other, she had to transfer the tool to one foot between each dip, thus freeing a hand for sweeping the ants into her mouth. Nevertheless, despite these difficulties, she persisted.
Figan, meanwhile, had begun to fish for siafu as well. But after only ten minutes he left his tool and rushed away to pick off the ants that had crawled up his arms and legs. Faben then picked up the abandoned tool but after fishing for only a couple of minutes he too gave up. The two brothers then started off in the direction of those delicious kifumbe.
Gigi, however, did not follow. She had positioned herself, by this time, on a low branch directly above the nest and, from this place of comparative immunity, continued to feed on ants. So Figan and Faben sat and waited. After a while Faben lay and closed his eyes. But Figan gradually became more and more impatient. Seven times he uttered his characteristic "Let's go!" grunt, but Gigi completely ignored these pleas. From time to time he shook little branches at her, requesting that she should follow him. But he did not do this very vigorously, and she paid absolutely no attention. Only when she had been fishing for forty-five minutes (with an average of about two stickfuls of ants per minute) did she finally give up and join Figan. Then the th
ree of them moved after the rest of the group.
The following day, when Gigi's feeding preferences conflicted with his, Faben left her and went off with the group. But Figan remained faithful. For a total of one hour and twenty minutes, spread over five different episodes during the day, he waited patiently while she fed, grumbling his soft "Let's go!" grunts from time to time. But only when she had quite finished feeding did she climb down and calmly follow where he led. By the following morning Gigi's swelling had waned and Figan's proprietary interest in her ended.
During those few days when Figan and Faben were both dancing attendance on Gigi, one most unusual event took place, when Curt was following them:
"Just after they'd left their nests I saw Faben mating Gigi," he told us that evening. "Suddenly Figan noticed and charged at them with his hair out. He actually stamped on Faben's back. He stamped three times, quite hard, and Faben screamed like anything, and then waa-barked as Figan charged off. Just a bit after that, Figan mated Gigi himself."
"That's about the only time Figan has minded sharing his female with Faben, isn't it?" I asked.
"I saw it happen one other time," said Caroline. "That was when Faben was mating in thick bush—I don't think Figan realized who it was for a few moments. They both looked surprised afterwards!"
When Patti went pink in her turn, Figan did not make any obvious attempts to prevent Faben from mating with her. And after she had subsided there were no more pink females for the rest of the fifty-day follow. It would be crude and altogether disrespectful to an alpha male to describe here David's observation, made six days after Patti's detumescence, which led him to suspect that Figan, sound asleep in his nest, was dreaming about the sexual delights of the previous weeks!
One evening Curt had an exciting story to relate. Figan, travelling with Faben, Satan, Goblin and four females, had begun hunting baboons. While Faben and Goblin sat below and watched, Figan had climbed slowly towards a baboon mother and her small, black infant. But she was alert and, although he chased her a short way, she easily escaped.