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A day with monkeys
Once I decided to see my friend Mr Chimpanzee in the jungles of Africa. My decision was based on his invitation for a monkeys’ bonfire in the African jungles. At first I hesitated but he convinced me to see his community and to meet his friends.
When I reached the jungle, Chimpanzee, along with his group, greeted me. I was surprised to see that his group had almost 80 members. My friend was a dominant member and so all the other members had to treat him with respect. I followed them in the main jungle. There were many flowering plants like Hibiscus, Rosy periwinkle and the Ginger lily. Chimpanzee told me that African Jungles have 17,000 species of flowering plants.
We stopped at a place where monkeys from the rest of the world had gathered. They all had come to Africa for the bonfire. I sat down on a giant rock. The chimpanzees were communicating with each other through different sounds and facial expressions. They were scratching their backs, combing hairs with fingers and picking out lice. It was their time to groom themselves which lasted for an hour. The Chimpanzees then had their lunch that consisted of meat, fruit, plants, small antelopes and bush pigs. Since they are the most intelligent creature after human beings, some of them were breaking coconuts by bashing them on a hard stone. It was fun watching their kids play. They were climbing and swinging and building their muscles.
After an hour or two, my friend chimpanzee came to me along with other chimpanzees from United States named as Bonobo. He had a smaller head and his body was slender. Chimpanzee told me that Bonobos are very intelligent, affectionate and social. They are very friendly with one another and they are fond of fruits. “Nice to see you Mr Bonobo” I told him.
I wanted to see different species of monkeys, so I informed Chimpanzee of what I desired. Chimpanzee asked me to follow him. We crossed that 80 member chimpanzee group and first met Mr Marmoset and Mr Tamarin who were bright coloured and very attractive. They were from South America. They were fond of lizards, frogs and snails. Marmoset and Tamarin told me that their family is in danger of extinction which was very threatening for them. I felt sorry for them and wished them the best in the future.
Next, we met Mr Squirrel Monkey who had come from South American rain forests. I wondered why they are called Squirrel Monkeys; Chimpanzee told me that they scamper through the trees like squirrels. Mr Monkey was sitting with his tail wrapped around his shoulder. He told me that his community usually comprises 200 members.
Mr Uakari was sitting right next to Mr Squirrel. He had a red face and he sounded very aggressive but Chimpanzee told me that he was very shy and non aggressive monkey. I put my hand forward to shake hands with him but the howl of another monkey scared me and I started shivering. I looked upward and caught a glance of the Howler monkey who was sitting on a tree top. His howls echoed through the forest. The hand shake with Mr Uakari diverted my attention from the tree top.
Chimpanzee then arranged my meeting with a very special guest from South America, Mr Capuchin. He was a monkey with a cap of black fur on his head. Capuchin told me that he was very fond of fruits and played many tricks to have them. He also had many conflicts with human beings. I frowned when I heard that and wondered how it is possible. He cleared my confusion by telling me that the reason for this is that they often raid crops. They, in a group of around 30, used to raid in the absence of farmers and destroy their crop, that’s why humans have a grudge against them.
Chimpanzee was looking for Mr Proboscis, but he had gone for swimming which was his favourite hobby. I was surprised to know that he had a long drooping nose which made him a strange looking monkey. Ms Mona, who was a blue faced local monkey of the African jungles, was hosting Mr Proboscis.
Then I was privileged to see Baboons. They were sitting in a small group of 12. Their head was an adult Baboon who welcomed me. Mr Baboon had an olive-grey fur. He told me that he was responsible for the discipline among the group. He used to take the group on the cliffs to sleep soundly. He had his cousin baboons both in Africa and Asia.
Mr Chimpanzee told me that Macaques, who were coming for the bonfire from Morocco, Afghanistan, India and Japan, would be led by an older Macaque. Lion-tailed Macaque, Japanese Macaque and Pig-tailed Macaque were especially invited for the event.
I met Mr Langur from India afterwards. He was of golden colour and had a very long tail. Actually, his name “langur” means ‘long tail’ in Hindi.
I had heard about Gorillas and I was curious to meet them. At last my wish came true and I met Mr Gorilla when he was beating his chest. He was a very strong creature with a silver back. His cousins were yawning which meant they were tired. They had a younger gorilla of about five to six months with them who was learning to walk. “Gorillas are greatest of apes”, Chimpanzee told me, “Mountain Gorillas, who are their cousins, are endangered species because they are shot down by hunters.” These words of Chimpanzee saddened all other gorillas. To restore their good mood, I told them that monkeys are considered sacred in Hindu and Buddhist communities. They are allowed to raid crops in India.
I was anxiously waiting for the annual bonfire. I wanted to enjoy the company of various monkeys and apes in the jungle; but, something very strange happened. Some tigers chased a stag at the place where the mega event was going to be held and tore him to pieces. Vultures were waiting for the tigers to leave, so that they could eat what was left. The monkeys decided to postpone the event. I decided to leave the next day because monkeys knew how to climb and swing on trees to save their life; but I lacked this skill.
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