Gombe Stream the Gombe preserve but Goodall had not seen more than a few dozen Although she was frustrated Goodall knew the chimps had good reason to keep their distance Gombe Stream became a national park in 1968 Located approximately 10 miles 16 km north of the town of Kigoma Tanzania the park encompasses only 20 square miles 52 sq km making it the smallest of Tanzania's national parks Dense jungle covers much of the area and the terrain is rugged and hilly The park sits along the northern end of Lake Tanganyika Approximately 410 miles 660 km long and from 10 to 45 miles 16 to 72 km wide this lake is essentially a long narrow inland sea holding some of the purest and clearest water in Africa It is also the second deepest lake in the world with a depth of 4,710 feet 1 436 m Relations between chimps and local villagers had never been particularly peaceful Hunters illegally caught chimps for food or the pet trade or killed them as pests for raiding crops gardens and sometimes homes Over the next few months Goodall learned that getting close enough to observe the daily habits of the secretive and wary creatures was more than frustrating and bewildering It was often downright dangerous Gombe's treacherous terrain was full of cliffs and jagged rocks hidden by lush foliage The thick grasslands and jungles provided ample cover for baboons leopards and some of the world's most venomous snakes Insects were a particular problem especially Africa's notorious tsetse flies and disease carrying mosquitos Two military surplus tents provided only little protection Within three months of
7 their arrival Goodall and her mother Vanne who had come to help her get settled were stricken with malaria Both spent more than a week with raging fevers barely able to leave their cots Despite the difficulties Goodall was not the kind of person to give up easily on a dream particularly one she'd had since she was eight years old As soon as her fever subsided though still weak from her illness she resumed her daily search for the chimps FIRST ENCOUNTERS That steamy August day had been business as usual She had seen a few chimps and pursued them slowly and carefully not attempting to hide or keep particularly quiet Her experience with animals told her sneaking up on them was not the best way to establish trust The chimps knew she was there She decided to wait for them to come to her with the same sense of curiosity and wonder she felt for them Goodall found a strategic point to survey the valley and sat that afternoon on a high point she named the Peak This became her favorite place because of the wide panoramic view it provided of the surrounding hills cliffs and valleys and of the glistening Lake Tanganyika Occasionally when she was lucky Goodall's strategic high perch allowed glimpses of chimps
From her perch in Gombe Stream Goodall had a view of Lake Tanganyika 8 feeding in trees or passing in groups below Early in her study the wary chimpanzees kept their distance But that day as Goodall later reported her heart missed several beats when a small group of chimps appeared on a hilltop very suddenly and very close She recognized one of them from an earlier encounter He was a large male with a lustrous black coat and a distinctive silvery beard The other two chimps hurried past her but the bearded male stopped approximately ten paces away turned and looked at her With what Goodall described as an expression of intense curiosity
9 turning his head from side to side the chimp studied her for several minutes before scampering off to join the others Several days later Goodall encountered the same male in the forest He passed within a few yards of the conspicuous spot where she had chosen to sit along a well worn path This time the chimp did not pause or look at her but she was beginning to feel she might be on the verge of making a real connection The chimp appeared to be comfortable presenting himself to her Encouraged Goodall increased her efforts to approach the chimps Every day she would rise at dawn and dress in drab colored clothes Then always staying in view she would move to where she anticipated the chimps would be If she heard chimps approaching she would sit and pretend she was not interested in them so they would not perceive her as a threat Also to minimize the chance of threatening the chimps she picked leaves pretended to chew them self groomed and pawed at the ground imitating gestures and sounds she had observed in the chimps Goodall took detailed notes about the behaviors she observed and the foods the chimps ate She noted and attempted to imitate the many different sounds she heard coming from the chimps She tried to understand different vocalizations and to associate and match certain behaviors to
