APE HOUSE, a new book by Sara Gruen

November 20, 2010

Sara Gruen, author of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, has written a new book called  APE HOUSE. 

It particularly interested me because I so enjoyed WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, and through my visits to UGANDA, I have developed a relationship with a female chimpanzee.

APE HOUSE is a study of a relative of the chimpanzee, the lesser-known BONOBO chimpanzee...not as well known because its habitat is limited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The common chimpanzee can be found in SEVERAL African nations. Before we chat about the book, I'd like to show you the difference between the Bonobo and the common Chimp... and tell you a short story about an experience I had.

Both Bonobos and Chimps share 98.4% of their DNA with US. Perhaps that why we're so fascinated with these great apes.  Straight from GOOGLE, here are the physical differences...

The Bonobo's eyebrows don't protrude as much as the Chimp's; their lips are different; the Bonobo's ears and head are smaller than those of the Chimp. In Chimp society, the MALES are BOSS...in Bonobo society, the FEMALES are the CEOs!  Bonobos walk upright at least 25% of the time. When walking on all fours, they "palm walk," unlike the Chimps who "knuckle walk."

For the past several years, I've been spending time on NGAMBA ISLAND in UGANDA. It's now home to 40+ rescued chimps. They're all  different ages as they were rescued at different times. On my first visit to the island,  I met, one-on-one, an 11 year old female names ICARU. When we first met, she came over to me, sat down beside me ( I was sitting on the ground in the pouring rain...quite a sight...) and started to groom me, combing my rain-soaked hair with her pencil-thin, long fingers. We played, walked  in the woods together hand in hand and groomed one another...spent some quality time together! We had each made a new friend. Icaru put her arms up to me, as a child would, asking me to carry her. I picked her up and took a few steps, trying...but she was heavier than I had imagined. Suddenly, I fell forward...on top of her! I was frantic that I had hurt her, but she was fine. However, the palm of my hand was badly. deeply cut. The keeper (who was walking with us)  wrapped a clean handkerchief around my bleeding gash while Icaru and some of her friends watched somberly. Eventually, we stood up and continued our forest walk with Icaru holding my uninjured hand. She was clearly very concerned as her eyes searched mine several times for  a reading. After a few minutes, she stopped walking and reached for my bandaged hand and very gently lifted the hanky (using only one long finger,) to see how my hand looked. I tell you all this because when I returned to see her the following year, after walking together for a few minutes, sitting down and grooming one another, she started to listen very carefully to my voice and look at me intently... then, she reached for the hand that had been injured to examine it...she ran her fingers over my palm and brought my hand closer to her face so she could see it better. She seemed satisfied and we got up and continued walking. I asked the keeper (who remembered my accident) whether this was normal behavior and curiosity for the chimps. He said "NO, she remembers you!"  This was truly the experience of a lifetime...one I like to repeat (without the fall) year after year. I've never had a house pet, so having a relationship with a chimp is very special!  I'm proud to introduce you to my friend, (now 14,) ICARU...

 Back to the topic of Sara Gruen's new book,  APE HOUSE...I was immediately drawn into the story of a troop of six BONOBO chimps who live at a university language lab and communicate in English and American Sign Language...this based on fact. Gruen shares her fascination with the emotional lives of animals, bringing alive the Bonobos' interactions and their capacity for feeling and communication. The troop is in danger though,  as they are "freed" from a facility where one of the main human characters, Isabel Duncan, is working with their language skills. They are forced into a much more dangerous place  by corrupt and mercenary outsiders and must be rescued. They often tried to help in their own plight for safety.
I was totally immersed in the world Gruen created and pushed into MORE of a love affair with these Great Apes. When involved with the cast of Bonobos, I was theirs entirely...in their world, thinking their thoughts, feeling what they felt, hoping for a way to help communicate their needs... Gruen was masterful in dramatizing the bonds between humans and our fellow creatures with extraordinary empathy as she did in WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.

Thanks for checking back with me. Hope to see you again soon. I'd be so grateful if you left a comment...XOX, Abbyj