East of the Mountains of the Moon: Chimpanzee Society in the African Rain Forest

In the early 1970s, Jane Goodall and her colleagues reported bands of male chimpanzees killing other males that ventured near their territory. Wildlife biologist Ghiglieri went to Africa to find out whether lethal warfare was common among apes, but his project expanded to the study of their social structure and ecology. Unlike Goodall, he did not provide food; he observed ""his'' troop of chimpanzees from a distance, following them through the jungle. Ghiglieri spent two years in the Kibale Forest of southwest Uganda at a time when Idi Amin was threatening foreigners. He published his scientific findings in The Chimpanzees of the Kibale Forest; this book, combining his adventures with sober reflections on the future of African wildlife, is written for the lay reader. He visited other areas of Uganda, observing the effects of population pressure, habitat destruction and poaching. A final chapter discusses the use of chimpanzees in medical research. Readers who have enjoyed Goodall on the great apes will find this equally illuminating. (January 25)