HumanLike: The Chimps of Fongoli — PBS Nature Documentary

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: South of the Sahara Desert is a group of remarkable chimpanzees. They may hold clues to how we became human. People said getting close to them was impossible. Then one team changes everything. Let into their secret lives, they witness new behaviors. Opening a window into our own deep past. The chimps of Fongoli are more like us than anyone ever imagined. Senegal is so hot and dry. It's at the limit of where chimpanzees can survive. And yet it's home to a special group whose lives may hold clues to our own evolutionary past. But getting close to them is almost impossible. They're elusive ghosts rarely seen. The story of how we came to discover their secrets starts 25 years ago. Not in the wild, but in town, with a man who, back then, knew nothing about chimpanzees. [00:02:15] Dondo Kante: My name is Dondo Kante, but people call me Johnny. [00:02:20] Speaker 1: Everything changed for Johnny the day he met a scientist from America. Jill Preetz knew Johnny had grown up on the edge of the bush, and she wanted his help to study the special chimpanzees up close. Trouble is, the chimps are so elusive, people questioned whether they even existed. [00:02:54] Speaker 3: They asked me what I was doing, and I said I'm studying chimpanzees, and they told me there are no chimpanzees. Yeah, exactly. [00:03:04] Speaker 1: Johnny knew if he was going to accept this challenge, it was going to be a massive task. [00:03:10] Speaker 4: Mmm. That's good. Yeah, yeah. [00:03:22] Speaker 1: Johnny's mission was to go into the Fongoli region of the savannah, and somehow get the chimpanzees accustomed to his presence, to habituate them. But coming back to his childhood stomping ground means facing his childhood fears. Because when Johnny grew up, chimps were things to be scared of. Dark spirits parents told their children to avoid. [00:04:00] Dondo Kante: When I was a boy, I never saw chimpanzees, but I could hear them crying and screaming. Even to see a chimp is a bad luck. [00:04:31] Speaker 1: The scale of Johnny's task is huge. Other chimps live in lush forests, where food and water is abundant, but this is one of the driest areas of Africa. Here, resources are scarce, and the Fongoli chimps must roam a much larger territory than their forest cousins. [00:04:55] Speaker ?: It's a vast area for Johnny to search. [00:04:56] Speaker 1: And to make it more difficult still, the chimps are extremely wary of people. [00:05:10] Dondo Kante: Sometimes we can't stay one week, two weeks, without seeing anything. Anytime they even smell you, they run away. [00:05:29] Speaker 5: For four, long, hot years, Johnny heads out with a small team. Gradually, he gets the chimps used to him, and begins to learn where they like to go. [00:05:44] Speaker 1: But every time he gets close, they still run away. Then, one day, while Johnny searches for the chimps at a small water hole, something special happens. [00:06:23] Dondo Kante: That day was very, very hard. He came 10 or 15 meters close to me, and started drinking. [00:06:37] Speaker 1: Instead of running away, one particularly bold male stares right at him. [00:06:58] Dondo Kante: I never thought I could see a chimpanzee very close like that. Everything changed that day. [00:07:13] Speaker 1: It's a breakthrough moment. Finally, the chimps let Johnny in. It's the beginning of an extraordinary relationship that allows Johnny and the team to see into the intimate lives of these savannah chimps. Chimps. [00:07:39] Speaker ?: The chimps are ready to nest. The chimps are ready to nest. Chimps. The chimps are ready to nest. [00:07:40] Speaker 1: The chimps are ready to nest. Chimps. [00:07:43] Speaker ?: Chimps. [00:07:43] Speaker 1: Chimps. Chimps. Chimps. [00:07:46] Speaker ?: Chimps. [00:07:46] Speaker 1: Chimps. [00:07:47] Speaker ?: Chimps. [00:07:47] Speaker 1: Chimps. [00:07:48] Dondo Kante: The chimpanzees are ready to nest. Just grab the branches and then just put together. It was cool for me. The chimps were sleeping like birds. [00:08:48] Speaker 1: In this part of Senegal, rain is scarce. Incredibly, this could be the last downpour in the Fongoli region for eight months. For the group, this pool is possibly their last chance for a decent drink. The water provides a welcome oasis. But when it comes to leaving, they're a little unsure about walking through it. [00:10:13] Dondo Kante: It's like they don't really like water. I don't know if because it's cold or if they're scared, but the way they are crossing is very weird. [00:10:32] Speaker ?: The group now known as the Fongoli chimps numbers about 30 years ago. [00:10:57] Speaker 1: The group now known as the Fongoli chimps numbers about 30 individuals. And as Johnny and the team get to know them, they begin to give them all names. Like Tia, a caring mother. And males like gentle Mike. [00:11:17] Dondo Kante: Mike is very kind with other chimpanzees. And Lex. Lex is my favourite. [00:11:34] Speaker 6: Isn't he called a baby? When I was a kid, I could do that. When I see baby chimpanzees playing, almost like the human babies, you know? So that's giving me more love for the chimpanzees. [00:12:08] Speaker 1: Each day, Johnny tracks the family, noting down everything he sees. One of the big questions was, how are the chimps surviving out here, where food seems so scarce? [00:12:42] Speaker ?: 17-year-old Sy is the alpha male. [00:12:43] Speaker 1: The bravest of the males, he's been the group's leader and protector for three years. And he bears the scars to prove it. Under Sy's leadership, the chimps must cover many miles in their constant hunt. [00:13:15] Speaker ?: for food. [00:13:16] Speaker 1: Even this parched ground has treasures, if you know where to look. I came to above a tree. [00:13:34] Speaker ?: They are going there. [00:13:34] Speaker 1: I came to above a tree. They are going there. I came to above a tree. [00:13:37] Speaker ?: They are going there. I came to above a tree. They are going there. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. They are going there. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. I came to above a tree. [00:13:45] Speaker 6: I came to above a tree. They are going there. [00:13:59] Dondo Kante: When they are not sure if it's ripe or not, they can detect by swimming. When I see the chimpanzees, I say wow. I didn't think the chimpanzees eat the same thing that we eat. Eating this now reminds me of when I was a kid. [00:14:58] Speaker 1: Getting into the fruit isn't always so easy. To break the toughest shells, they worked out how to use stones as anvils. Just like Johnny used to do as a kid. Habituating the Fongoli chimps is the key to understanding them. After spending so many years just to get the chimps to accept their presence, Jill's team can now record in detail everything they do. [00:16:07] Speaker 4: Once you habituate the chimps, then a whole 'nother world comes through. You could follow them. You could follow them. You knew individuals. You could watch them feed and interact socially, and it was all worth it. [00:16:24] Speaker ?: Beobab trees. You could follow them. [00:16:25] Speaker 1: Beobab trees like this are islands of food in a parched savannah. But searching for the next opportunity means crossing vast areas of open ground. Out here, they're exposed and vulnerable. [00:16:58] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:17:01] Speaker 1: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. 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[00:18:02] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:18:12] Speaker 1: Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:18:23] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:18:25] Speaker 1: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:18:28] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. 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[00:25:53] Speaker 1: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:25:56] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:00] Speaker 1: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:04] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:07] Dondo Kante: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:14] Speaker ?: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:27] Dondo Kante: Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. Out here, they're exposed to animals. [00:26:42] Speaker 1: But it's not just about technique, it's about finding the right spot. And if you're a youngster like Zeb, you need to fish fast. But here, there's a pecking order. The research has now shown these fongoli chimps use tools to fish for termites more than any forest chimpanzees. Once again, it's the dry savanna that drives their special nature. And it's not just behavior. Jill's even finding signs that the chimps here may have undergone biological changes to cope with the heat. She's seeing signs they're becoming less hairy than chimps living in forests. It's another tantalizing parallel to our own evolutionary path. The fongoli chimps are showing just how special they are. They're also incredibly rare. So every new life is precious. When Tia, the mother whose baby they'd rescued, gave birth to a new baby, they named him Toto. Amy had a baby brother. But not long after the birth, one of the field assistants discovers Tia's lifeless body. She'd been killed by a snakebite. Toto is now an orphan. Toto is so young, he's abandoned by the group. He has no chance of surviving alone. For Jill, the news of Toto comes at a devastating moment in her life. [00:29:47] Speaker 4: When I first heard about Toto, I was with my mom, um, in the hospital. My mom had terminal cancer, and I just couldn't imagine not, not rescuing Toto. I may not be able to help my mom, but I can help this little baby. If it was a purely scientific reasoning, I would have just left him there, and he would have probably died. But I really didn't feel like I could do that. For me personally, it seems like a no-brainer. It's the thing you would do with your family. [00:30:31] Speaker 1: At camp, the team make the big decision to raise Toto in captivity. It's an undertaking that will once again upend Johnny's life. Like a human baby, Toto needed round-the-clock care. [00:30:55] Dondo Kante: While Johnny comes to grips with taking care of young Toto, Toto's family in Fongoli are facing [00:31:09] Speaker 1: the height of the dry season. Temperatures reach 120 degrees, and the landscape turns to dust. At this time of year, finding water becomes harder and harder. Just a few stagnant pools remain. [00:31:59] Dondo Kante: They could drink that water, but they don't want it because he's dirty. [00:32:10] Speaker 1: But the Fongoli chimps, resourceful as ever, have a solution. They dig holes next to the pools. They are using the sand like a filter to clean the water. [00:32:45] Dondo Kante: They wait until the water comes. They do more good than me. [00:33:05] Speaker 1: Now they can drink. The chimps are demonstrating patience and forethought. And the young chimps find the cool, wet sand irresistible. [00:33:31] Speaker 5: They're playing by learning. We can't see the young friend, see the adult chimps doing it, and then they copy it. And then they copy it. [00:33:57] Speaker ?: And then they copy it. [00:34:19] Speaker 1: Back in camp, the orphan Toto has no family to play with and learn from like his cousins out in the wild. Johnny must fulfill that role. Johnny has watched the Fongoli chimps at play for years. Now, he must channel everything he's learned to create a kind of forest school for Toto. [00:35:02] Dondo Kante: The first time I see Toto climb a tree makes me really happy because I believe that he can be real chimps. It's very wonderful. [00:35:29] Speaker 1: As Johnny learns to be a chimp father, news about the Fongoli chimps' extraordinary behaviors about the Fongoli chimps' extraordinary behaviors has been spreading around the world. And one behavior spreads their fame more than any other. A startling reminder of our own human journey. [00:36:08] Dondo Kante: Researchers reported they've seen wild chimpanzees in West Africa making weapons. It's hunting. [00:36:14] Speaker 3: A new study of West African chimpanzees shows that they're now making their own weapons. [00:36:20] Speaker 1: In a step up from termite fishing, the Fongoli chimps are hunting for bush babies, nocturnal primates that hide in tree hollows. [00:36:30] Dondo Kante: First time seeing the chimpanzees killing a bush baby was difficult for me. I feel sorry for the bush baby. [00:36:43] Speaker 4: This to me, I think is kind of a classic in terms of the length. They'll go out of their way to find this type of tree and make a tool out of that. They're stripping all the branches, leaves, and then they'll also trim the tip. Or they'll like stab into the cavity and then smell it. They're jabbing and like this. [00:37:23] Speaker 1: This is a game-changing response to living in an extreme environment. [00:37:30] Speaker 4: Our ancestors started hunting with tools and nobody else does that. It's one of the things that made us human. [00:37:37] Speaker 1: For Jill, making and using a weapon to hunt another creature creates a detachment from the act of killing. [00:37:45] Speaker 4: What they're doing is they're removing an emotional stage that some scientists say was also what we did as humans. It changed the way that people thought about chimps, but it also changed how we think about ourselves. [00:38:01] Speaker 1: As the orphan Toto grows up, it becomes increasingly clear that he may never return to his group. [00:38:23] Speaker 4: One thing that really made us pause and think was he was a pretty big kid. The males might see him as a threat. The males might see him as a threat. And so that could be really dangerous for him. And so then we had to move on to think about other options for Toto. [00:38:47] Speaker 1: There is one sanctuary where Toto can live with other chimps. And he may even have a chance to return to the wild. But it's many days from Fongoli. While Johnny has been like a father to Toto, teaching him everything he knows. Now he must prepare to let him go. [00:39:14] Dondo Kante: It was sad for me to leave Toto. Because Toto was like my son. [00:39:39] Speaker 1: In the years after Toto leaves, Johnny throws himself back into his work. And he increasingly notices the world of his Fongoli chimps is changing profoundly. Not only is the climate getting hotter and drier. But the habitat is also coming under threat. [00:40:09] Dondo Kante: In this area we found a lot of people coming to cut trees. It's sad. But I don't know how to solve that problem. It's a big problem. It's a big problem. [00:40:36] Speaker ?: It's a big problem. [00:40:36] Dondo Kante: It's a big problem. It's a big problem. It's a big problem. It's a big problem. [00:40:45] Speaker 1: These pockets of forest provide food. And in an overheating world, vital shade. On one particularly hot day, at the height of the dry season, the chimps lead Johnny into uncharted territory. And then, they disappear into a cave. Chimps heading into caves is unheard of. They are so wary of being cornered, they won't let Johnny follow them. Only remote cameras can reveal what goes on inside. Being nervous is understandable. Caves are where predators hang out. [00:41:46] Dondo Kante: When I was young, people were telling me caves like that are very dangerous. Lepers, big snakes, cobras and everything. [00:42:03] Speaker 1: It's not till you get inside that all becomes clear. [00:42:09] Dondo Kante: I couldn't understand why the chimpanzee is going. It's more cold. 23 degrees colder. [00:42:25] Speaker 1: The Fongoli chimps are overcoming thousands of years of instinctual fear [00:42:30] Speaker ?: to become indoor chimps. [00:42:35] Speaker 1: The chimps only use the caves in the middle of the day in the hottest part of the year. Another adaptation to find respite from the suffocating heat. [00:43:18] Speaker 4: Kind of makes you think of early humans living in caves. I think that really fascinated a lot of people. [00:43:27] Speaker 1: The Fongoli chimpanzees, who are now some of the best recorded and most famous chimps, continue to adapt to their extreme world in ways that remind us of ourselves. But for Johnny, there's one bit of unfinished personal business. [00:43:47] Speaker 8: Last time I saw Toto, he was still little. It's eight years since he grew. I also changed, so I hope he recognizes me. [00:44:05] Speaker 1: It's a four-day drive to reach Toto's sanctuary. [00:44:11] Dondo Kante: My wish was always one day I will be able to visit Toto. It's a four-day drive to reach Toto. [00:44:18] Speaker ?: It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. It's a four-day drive. [00:44:30] Speaker 1: It's a four-day drive. Johnny takes the opportunity to catch up with the sanctuary keepers to find out how Toto got [00:44:38] Dondo Kante: on with other chimps. [00:44:40] Speaker 9: It's a four-day drive. He had a little bit of difficulty to adapt. Yes. It was not easy. He had a lot of difficulty to adapt. He was able to manage and understand. Otherwise, at the beginning, he didn't understand the computer. He didn't understand anything. It was good for him to come. He came to a good level. He was young. He quickly understood. Yes. Today, he became a chief. [00:45:01] Dondo Kante: I have a young man. He's my second man. Yes. They stayed there. I'm ready to see him, and then we will see how it will be. [00:45:23] Speaker 1: But after all this time, will Toto still know who Johnny is? [00:45:37] Speaker ?: Hey, Toto. How are you? How are you doing? [00:45:40] Dondo Kante: Hey, Toto. How are you? How are you doing? [00:45:43] Speaker ?: How are you doing? Wow. [00:45:45] Dondo Kante: Tophie, it's so big. I'm happy to see you. [00:45:47] Speaker ?: I'm happy to see you. I recognize him. I recognize him. I think he recognize me too. I recognize me too. I think he recognize me too. [00:45:52] Dondo Kante: How are you? Tophie, it's so big. I'm happy to see you. [00:45:55] Speaker ?: I'm happy to see you. I recognize him. I think he recognize me too. I think he recognize me too. Toto has not just adapted to the sanctuary group. [00:46:00] Dondo Kante: He is now one of the leaders. He is now one of the leading males. Toto has not just adapted to the sanctuary group, he is now one of the leading males. [00:46:31] Speaker 1: Tophie, it's wonderful. Wonderful. Yeah. [00:46:43] Dondo Kante: Seeing Toto like that is a dream come true because most of the time in Senegal he was alone. Seeing him here with other chimpanzees, I was very happy, very happy. [00:47:01] Speaker 1: It's been more than two decades since Johnny first set out to make contact with the chimps. And in that time, the human world has become more and more intertwined with the chimps' territory. [00:47:19] Dondo Kante: The chance I see when I come back from Guinea is a big difference. All this used to be a forest. [00:47:36] Speaker 1: Once elusive ghosts, the Fongoli chimps now live alongside people closer than ever. And as our world collides with theirs, the chimps are revealing behaviors that, more than any other, echo our own human journey. When people set wildfires to clear the land, the chimps do something extraordinary. They don't run, they think. [00:48:32] Dondo Kante: Sometimes they will just sit down and then watch the fire. If it's me, I will not stay there. [00:48:43] Speaker 1: As the flames grow higher, Sai, the alpha male, is watching, waiting. Seeming to assess the wind, the intensity of the blaze, and how much fuel there is to burn. From experience, Jill knows the chimps' instincts are better than her own. [00:49:21] Speaker 4: If you're with the chimps and there's a fire, stay with the chimps and do what they do. Because they're better at knowing what to do than people are. So I think that really shows that chimps have some degree of abstract thought. [00:49:40] Speaker 1: For Jill, being able to understand fire like this is the first step to controlling it. [00:49:49] Speaker 4: Some scientists think humans' ability to make and control fire is the biggest difference between us and any other animals. Even besides language. They put fire as number one. [00:50:20] Speaker 1: It's profound to imagine that this kind of relationship with fire might be the origin of one of the greatest steps in our own journey. Every revelation about our closest animal relatives today takes us one step further in imagining our own deep past. [00:50:51] Speaker 4: When you think about the earliest human ancestors, you think about things like fire, and using tools to hunt, and living in caves, walking upright. All of those things can be found in the Fongoli chimps. [00:51:20] Speaker 1: And it's amazing to think all these extraordinary discoveries came to light because the Fongoli chimps trusted a human. Allowing Johnny to see into their intimate lives in ways no one had done before. [00:51:43] Dondo Kante: I see them doing things I never imagined. [00:51:46] Speaker 7: It's changed my life. [00:51:51] Dondo Kante: Now I believe anything is possible. - Thank you. [00:52:26] Speaker 1: - Thank you. - To learn more about what you've seen on this nature program, visit pbs.org.