The Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation

Vernon Reynolds (2005)

Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0198515464 (paperback) £32.50

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This is an enjoyable book with useful references to many aspects of chimpanzee life. It successfully combines many years of ecological and behavioural research with conservation issues and an overview of field-work at Budongo.

‘The Chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest’ was easily digested. The use of specific examples allows the reader to quickly grasp the main points of each chapter. It is heavily illustrated with tables, photos, graphs and diagrams again making it easy reading. It could be recommended to primatologists at any level of study, but the text style will particularly appeal to students as it is full of memorable stories and case studies. However, as this book covers a huge range of topics, it can be vague and simplistic in areas, and might have benefited from more in-depth discussions and additional comparisons of research from other chimpanzee study sites.

Reynolds writes in a way that shows real affection and respect for the chimpanzees and throughout you feel like you grow to understand the different personalities in the well studied Sonso group. I really enjoyed reading about specific examples of infanticide and intra-community killing in the Sonso community, and the chapter titled ‘The problem of snares’ illustrated the gruesome severity of this problem, which affects around one-quarter of all the Sonso chimpanzees. Different snare and trap types are discussed, as well as injuries and deaths resulting from snares, the effects of snares on chimpanzee life, and some of the ways in which Reynolds and his colleagues have tried to combat the crisis.

The additional inclusion of unpublished data on chimpanzees from outside the Sonso community benefits the book hugely, even though research is in its preliminary stages. Some of the contrasting problems that the other Budongo chimpanzees face in their different environments are very effectively explored, and I found the insight into the related high levels of crop-raiding in the surrounding communities particularly intriguing. The chapter titled ‘The Kasokwa Forest chimpanzees: a breakdown of trust’ highlights the grave situation that many populations of chimpanzees in Africa are increasingly facing, and discusses some of the major threats of human encroachment and some of the possible solutions (if indeed one can be successfully found in time to save this small population).

The issue of how to reconcile the priorities of research and conservation is an ongoing one in primatology. Vernon Reynolds almost simplistically describes how the two go hand in hand. I certainly agree with the point that that when there is a real threat to the survival of a community it is important that research switches focus and concentrates on protecting the animals. However I feel that he does not realistically address some of the detrimental aspects of research. We cannot afford to ignore the potential dangers of getting these chimpanzees, that live in close proximity to a village, even more used to humans, and unfortunately this is a likely outcome no matter what the topic of the research.

In summary, Reynolds has written a thorough overview of the work conducted at Budongo with a personal touch, in a volume which will no doubt be referred to time and time again. Although we now understand some of the ecological and social factors that may influence our cousins, it remains clear that there is still much to be learned. By sharing his knowledge and that of the other researchers at Budongo, Reynolds has contributed to the quest to address the global problems facing all the non-human Great Apes.

Kimberley Hockings

University of Stirling