- Gremlin: mother holding her twin daughters, Gold
and Glitter.
- Gold: grey beard
- Glitter
- Patti: reclining
- Titan: curious young male chimp who wants to play
with the twins. He is the son of Frodo, the alpha
male.
Gremlin is sitting with Gold and Glitter. The twins
are cuddled close to mother on her lap, playing with
surrounding objects on the ground- especially a shell
to a fruit that appears to have just been eaten by Patti.
There is a rustle in the distant bush. It is Titan.
Titan’s curious nature wants to get closer to
the twins, but naturally as a mother Gremlin is very
protective. Walking around Gremlin he is aware of her
anxiety and uses deception in order to get closer to
the infants- he sits behind Gremlin and begins to groom.
While grooming he often looks over at the twins while
glancing at Gremlin, wanting to see a sign that he can
make contact with Gold and Glitter, simply out of curiosity.
At this point something unknown startles the twins,
Titan pulls his hand away and they immediately cling
to the hair of their mother. This reaction is very common
– the need to hold onto the mother when panicked
or frightened is present for many years in young chimpanzees.
The attention of the group is now focused on the strong
wind sweeping across the mountainside, indication of
an approaching storm. This reaction is very distinctive
as the chimpanzees recognize and appear to marvel at
this common element of nature. Acknowledging the strong
wind and stopping to look in its direction is something
that we humans also recognize, often becoming captivated
by the force. Typical of Titan’s personality he
soon becomes bored and shifts his attention to climbing
up a branch.
Back |
