Bakaria Stories


Flurry of Fury

Woken by a deep low drumbeat. A rhythm of nature. It was the sound of chimps pounding on the base of a dead hollowed tree trunk. Its a territorial gesture but its also their way of signaling us: "Hey, we're here and we're hungry." They returned last night and slept just across the river from camp. We try to feed them about twice per week to help t...


The Weight of the Crown

Rise at 5:45am. Darkness. Begin preparing all the gear. Pack 3 walkie-talkies, two radio transmitters, a bag of bananas, boat fuel, rubber boots, hand-held GPS device, and, reluctantly, the satellite phone. If there is a tragedy waiting for us, Estel will need to know immediately. Load the boat and two other volunteers as well as Mamadi are there w...


Riding Big Mama

I have been assigned to return to Bakaria to continue tracking and monitoring our released group of 5 adult chimps. They have been in the wild for 6 weeks now and seem to be adapting well. They have staked out their territory and return to our camp a few times per week for feeding. This time of the year, the height of the wet season, there are virtua...


Rappa the Turd Burgler

Africa is methodically swallowing up all my tech gear, piece by piece. Last week, my digital camera suffered a heat stroke. The humidity has affected the internal focusing system so all my photos appear blurry. Today, while crossing the Niger, my iPod clipped a branch and fell into the river. Curious to know what fate has in store for my laptop. ...