Steve Bowers
… The next day we tourists settled down to watch the Mating Day activities. Several low tables were set out under wide umbrellas to keep off the frequent rain; we sat on the dry earth beneath, and ate fruit, barbecued meat, and spliced meat-fruit salad. All around us we could see the neobonobos spiralling through the trees, chasing each other like a game of tag.
Some trees in this rainforest stretched as far as the green photosynthetic worldhouse roof, five kilometres above; there were many layers of canopy beneath the veined sky, and most of them were covered in chimps.
It was difficult to see what was going on, to be honest; using the highest magnification my eyes were capable of I could watch one particular individual, as he chased another neobonobo; they embraced for a few seconds; fell in slow motion tumbling comically; was chased himself, embraced again with a different partner; the whole ceremony seemed very different to any kind of human sexual behaviour, and I was getting a little bored watching it.
At the next table squatted the Greater Neochimp diplomat from the nearby world of Digit; I already knew his name, which was Respected Hoogh-Ahh-Lehh. He was dressed in a crisp white suit and a pale grey hat; he watched the chase with a tiny golden telescope on the end of his walking stick. Lowering his stick, he grimaced- I recognised his facial expression as unhappy/disgusted, although confusingly it looked like a human smile.
“I do not care to see such vulgarities,” he said across the tables to me.
That must be why you have the telescope, I thought, but said nothing, attempting a cross-species friendly face.
He continued, “This nonsense cannot be interesting to you humans; why do you not come to our own world and I will show you real civilised chimpanzee behaviour.”
Somehow I doubted that the chimps of Digit could be any more gracious than the good-humoured peoples of Bolobo; but it has always been difficult for any nonchimp to gain entry to any Greater Neochimp world, so I replied, “If that is an invitation-”
“It is!” Respected Hoogh-Ahh-Lehh interposed.
“Then I am grateful, and I accept.” It is good to network whenever an opportunity arises, naturally.
More about the author, Steve Bowers, here.
More about Bolobo here.