A carefully folded set of leaves on the muddy floor with a bic pen for scale - first Waibira leaf sponge at the main water hole!

So pretty, so pointy.. A tiny iridescent blue green wasp with a large sting

Oops.. A faded photo of a person lying down with a catheter in their left hand

A black and white shot of a very elderly female chimpanzee in the Budongo Forest - Nambi, grand dame of team Sonso

It’s already been a rollercoaster start to #2025 so a little #gonechimping #fieldwork photo dump while I hop from East to West.. 🧪🐵
1. Leaf tools are the best tools #fightme
2. So pretty, so pointy
3. Oops..
4. Just you n me now kiddo; Nambi, grand dame of #teamSonso

#Uganda #Budongochimps

A young female chimpanzee gazes into the distance in the Budongo forest, Uganda

#teamWaibira ladies : very demure, very mindful…

Not like those Sonso hooligans..

#gonechimping #budongochimps 🧪

A man in a field uniform lounges along a low branch in a forest as low golden sunlight shines through the trees

No matter how intense the day there’s always something tranquil about the last golden hour, waiting for the chimps to decide its nesting time, watching the sunlight drip from the branches..

#gonechimping #budongochimps #uganda 🧪

a woman is holding a tray of christmas crackers in front of a fireplace with a clock in the background Alt: a woman is holding a tray of christmas crackers in front of a fireplace with a clock in the background she throws them at a bare Christmas tree to decorate it

Fieldwork Christmas this year included rescuing several pairs of knickers & a sock from the trees because the colobus monkeys at camp are little fiends with a jones for laundry detergent & decided to decorate 😂

Pretty sure this was not on my last risk assessment 🙈

#gonechimping #budongochimps 🧪

Wooohoooo 🥳🥳🥳 all the congratulatory hooots to the fantastic (basically now) Dr Hella Péter 🐵🍃🐵 so excited for all the awesome #teamWaibira chimp-mamas science to come!!

🧪 #BudongoChimps #chimpfant

A male chimpanzee relaxes sitting on a liana looking up into the forest canopy

Just chilling with the boys (after they force marched me straight off territory north on my last morning to have a little verbal spat with the neighbours because I guess I hadn’t done enough hiking with them this trip 🙄)

#teamWaibira #gonechimping #fieldwork #BudongoChimps 🧪

A man’s hand points out a tiny hoof print among the dry leaves on the forest floor

Was given an absolute masterclass in tracking by the incredible anti-snare team at #BudongoChimps - here Dominik has softly brushed aside deep leaf litter to point out the tiny hoof print that confirms we’re following a blue duiker trail 🤓💚

#budongoforest #fieldwork #gonechimpin

Black and white photo of a hand covered in very sticky latex

Turns out dabbling in feeding ecology is mucky stuff! Developing a lot more sympathy for the chimp moms that have to groom this stuff out of their offspring 😂

#fieldwork #gonechimpin #budongochimps

A young adult male chimpanzee turns to look at the camera while sitting quietly in a small tree in the Budongo forest

Time to #EatFigsnChill - best to learn a little patience when you’re one of the 30 independent males on #teamWaibira

#gonechimpin #fieldwork #Budongochimps #Budongoforest #Uganda

Black and white picture of a female chimpanzee on the forest floor in the classic ‘the thinker’ pose

Kewaya and I both wondering why we bothered to get out of bed early when everyone else seems to have decided to have a long lie in this morning.. 🙄

#BudongoChimps #Gonechimpin #budongoforest #lazybuggers #fieldwork #uganda