Chapter 16
Using a vine for
support, Celeste walked up a large, low hanging limb and wedged herself quite
comfortably in the crook of a tree. Using
her camcorder, she zoomed in on a group of bonobos in some trees a short
distance away, across a small clearing in the forest. As she zoomed from ape to ape, she saw two
males hanging from a limb while two females reclined peacefully on limbs below.
One female was grooming the other while the two males hung face to face rubbing
their erect penises together. Celeste
had read about “penis fencing” but it was the first time she had seen two
mature apes having a ‘sword fight”. The battle scene only lasted 10 or 15
seconds before one of the bonobos dropped from the limb and sat with the
females, while the other bonobo swung higher up into the tree, disappearing in
the forest canopy. Celeste watched as the remaining male sat with the two
females.
“May I join
you?”
Celeste
jumped. She hadn’t noticed Rebecca walk
up to the trunk of the tree.
Celeste stopped
recording. “Sure, if you can find room
up here.”
Rebecca walked
up the same limb that Celeste had and sat on the limb.
Rebecca was
about the same age as Celeste with brown skin, short cropped hair and she was
wearing a traditional African kitenge with a matching head scarf. Around the
borders of her kitenge was a popular feminine slogan, “Mwanamke mazingira
tuanataka, usawa, amani, maendelo” (We women want equality, peace, and progress).
“How’s it going this morning?” Rebecca whispered,
noticing the three bonobos across the clearing.
“So far, so
good. Do you recognize any of them.”
said Celeste, pointing at the apes.
“Yes. See the
one on the left? The older female? We
call her Eunice. She is about 30 years old.
We think she is pregnant but we’re not sure yet. Eunice is the Alpha female
for the Alpha colony.”
“Wow. How old do they get before they can’t
conceive anymore?”
“We think about
40 years but that may be high for in the wild.”
“Okay, and the
one grooming her?”
“The younger
female doesn’t have a name yet. She immigrated from a different colony just a
few days ago. She is about eight years
old. Female bonobos will distance
themselves and sever their relationships from their mothers at about six years
of age, even though they stay in the same foraging parties and by about eight
years of age, they will leave their native groups and join a new colony.”
“Just like
Chimpanzees” said Celeste.
“Yes, except
male Chimpanzees will dominate and abuse the new females. Male bonobos act like gentlemen around the
new ladies and the new females work really hard at establishing alliances with
the older females in the colony.”
“So, all the
males in a colony stay together, and the females integrate into a new group?”
“Yes. That way
all the senior males in a colony know all of the junior males since they were born,
and all the junior males have grown up together. In fact, they are mostly brothers and uncles
and cousins. It adds to the harmony of the colony. In their new colony, migrating females use
intimacy and sexual bonding with the dominant females to establish fresh
alliances, gradually gaining acceptance into the ranks of the females. By the
time they have their first baby, they are a stable member of the group. On top of which, this arrangement prevents
inbreeding and improves genetic diversity.”
“Got it. And what about the young male?” Celeste
pointed across the clearing.
“Oh that is
Jack. He is Eunice’s son and one of the highest ranking males in this colony.”
“Does he just
default to a higher rank because of his mother?”
“Yes, females
gain rank as they have offspring, especially males, and the rank of their sons
among the males corresponds to the rank of their mothers, relative to their age
and maturity.”
“Very interesting.
And do mothers and sons go their own ways like mothers and daughters?”
“No
actually. Jack is at least 15 years old
and he still a Momma’s boy. The mother-son bond among bonobos lasts for life.”
“That’s hardly
fair. I think the females get the short end of the stick on this deal.”
Rebecca laughed.
“Or so it would seem. I guess, but for
the females, it’s either leave or get bred by your father, brothers or cousins.
I’d hit the road too!”
Celeste
smiled. “Okay and what’s with the penis
fencing. Just before you came, another
male was hanging out with Jack, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh that… It’s
very common for male bonobos to touch and to pseudo-copulate by rubbing and
touching each other. They do it for various reasons including diffusion of tensions
and post-conflict resolution but also sexual gratification. Females do the
same. Well, except the penis fencing.”
Celeste and
Rebecca both laughed. Celeste looked at
Rebecca, noticing her happy smile and the curves of her petite body. She wondered quietly if Rebecca was gay or
straight, or both, but propriety demanded that she get to know her better
before she asked. “So tell me about your stay. How long have you been here?”
“I have been
here off and on for about three years. When I’m not here I am at home in
Johannesburg. My family owns a resort in
Soweto.”
Rebecca and
Celeste traded small talk for a bit as they got to know each other. Celeste
filled Rebecca in on the story of William’s hand and the poachers, as well as
the new baby bonobo. Finally, the apes
they had been watching moved off looking for food.
“We still have
time for another observation or two.”
“Okay, Let’s go
find some more bonobos.”
Rebecca made her
way down to the ground while Celeste handed her pack down. Celeste walked down
the limb and stepped onto the ground. They walked further into the trees and
followed the high pitched sounds of the bonobo colony. Most of the bonobos were high in the trees
where it is very difficult to observe them.
Patty suggested,
“Let’s just sit here and see if any come down lower.”
The two girls
sat in the shade of some banana trees.
Celeste laid her pack down as a pillow and reclined against it while
Rebecca put her pack against the truck of the tree and did the same. Just as they got comfortable, a small but
noisy group of bonobos came swinging through the trees above them. A mother
with an infant on her back dropped down to the ground while another female
followed. They stopped to investigate a rotten stump and a fallen log in a
shady hollow just in front of Celeste and Rebecca. As the girls watched, the leading female tore
a piece out of the side of the stump and started licking red ants, turning the
piece of wood as she enjoyed her snack. The other female stood back until the
first bonobo dropped the piece of wood and then they quickly rubbed their
genitals together before both tore at the stump, finding more ants to eat.
“There it
was. That was GG rubbing wasn’t it? I’m curious about the penis fencing and GG
rubbing. I’ve observed some homosexual
behaviour in chimps and gorillas but never to the same extent than bonobos seem
to take it.”
“Oh its very
common with animals that have non-reproductive sex. In fact, no species has been found in which
homosexual behaviour has not been shown to exist. Homosexual and bisexual behaviour has been
observed in over 1500 species in everything from sheep to penguins, humans
too.” Rebecca smiled. “I believe that
same-sex sexual behaviour is a universal phenomenon throughout the animal
kingdom but it’s been a politically charged and morally sensitive subject. Most researchers have ignored it, rather than
report on it because society hasn’t wanted to hear about it. It’s a taboo
topic.”
“So, if one was
brave enough to report on observations of “same-sex sexual behaviour” as you
call it, do we use human terms like “bisexual, lesbian or gay?”
Rebecca laughed.
“No, no… western society couldn’t handle that.
Usually, we observe homosexual behaviour in animals as just one of many
sexual behaviours in their repertoire.
In human terms, that would make them bisexual, though there are many
cases of truly homosexual orientations in the animal kingdom, even among our
closest pets. What do we do when Rex,
the family dog starts humping Rover the dog next door? We just look the other
way and pretend it isn’t happening. Yetr farmers know that 8 - 10% of their
male sheep won’t breed female ewes but will readily mate with other rams.”
“Seriously? I had no idea.”
“Exactly. That’s my point. Ironically, society considers homosexuality
in humans, peccatum contra naturam, a sin against nature, while we are
surrounded by bisexual and homosexual animals. It’s less sex against nature and
more sex with nature, if the truth was told.”
Celeste asked, “Yea,
I know what you mean. I can’t go back to
Wisconsin with that. Okay so, what has the research shown? Where does the homosexual behaviour come
from. Is it as simple as varied sexual gratification or is it a genetic
disposition?”
“Who knows. It certainly hasn’t been studied enough. In bonobos, we suspect that both homosexual
and heterosexual behaviours strengthen alliances and social ties, as well as
diffuse tension and aggression. But until we address the social, moral and
ethical questions about homosexuality research, I doubt we can even be
objective with our findings. The best of our work never sees the light of day.”
Celeste nodded,
deep in thought. She looked at her watch while she wondered about Rebecca. “Time to go meet the others.”
The girls packed
up and walked back towards the meeting point where they met with Mike, who was
waiting with Solomon and Jean-Paul. Roger and Patty came walking in a few
minutes later.
“Hey. Did you see anything interesting today?”
Patty asked Celeste and Rebecca.
“Oh just some
female grooming and a few bonobos hanging around in the trees. I got a good
clip of penis fencing if you want to see?”
Patty laughed.
“Seriously? It sounds funny but no, save
that for a quiet Friday evening when we have nothing to do but watch
reruns.” They all laughed. The group headed back to camp.
