Bossou, Guinea

Brief History

This site consists of several small hills that are protected for religious reasons, situated within a primarily agricultural region of small villages and fields. The chimpanzees are not completely isolated; occasional visitors have been seen and maturing individuals have vanished with no evidence of mortality. The nearest neighboring population is in the Nimba Mountains, about 6-10km away. Research at the site has emphasized tool-use and cognition. It is also the only site at which there is evidence of male intercommunity transfer among chimpanzees (see e.g. Sugiyama et al. 1993).


Primary source for the following Site Data is McGrew et. al. (1996), Great Ape Societies (Cambridge University Press), Appendix. As of April 2000, there is a website for Bossou at http://www.pri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/koudou-shinkei/shikou/chimpworld/home-e.html, with information about the research, photographs, and also information about chimpanzees in Japan.

SITE DATA

Name: Bossou
Location: Guinea, Lola Prefecture, 7° 39' N, 8° 30' W
Status: Protected
Area: 6 km2 core area (Sugiyama 1984), home range 8-10 km2 (Sakura 1994), 30 km2 overall (GAS appendix)
Altitude: 500-700m
Temp: ? °C
Rainfall: 2000-3000mm (2230mm in 1995)
Vegetation: Primary and secondary forest, cultivated field, savanna
Human
influence:
No hunting, some burning, cultivation, recent provisioning

Disturbance ratings -- 4, 4, 2, 3, 4
Closest
village:
Overlaps chimpanzees' range
Species
studied:
P. t. verus
Population
density:
The community is about 20 individuals; the unusual nature of the habitat renders absolute density figures difficult to interpret
Fauna: Presumably few if any other large mammals
Study
period:
1976-77, 1979-80, 1982-83, 1985-86, 1987-present
Habituation: Good
Research
presence:
Permanent
Conservation: Guards' training
Current
research:
Social organization, feeding ecology, tool use, growth and development, cognition
Methods: Focal-subject sampling, ad lib observation, field experiment
Contact
person:
Y. Sugiyama, Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, Inuyama, Japan 484
Habitat photos ----
Maps ----
Aerial photos ----
Bibliography References arranged by author or by year of publication.
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