The Ghosts of Gombe: A True Story of Love and Death in an African WildernessOn July 12, 1969, Ruth Davis, a young American volunteer at Dr. Jane Goodall’s famous chimpanzee research camp in the Gombe Stream National Park of Tanzania, East Africa, walked out of camp to follow a chimpanzee into the forest. Six days later, her body was found floating in a pool at the base of a high waterfall. With careful detail, The Ghosts of Gombe reveals for the first time the full story of day-to-day life in Goodall’s wilderness camp—the people and the animals, the stresses and excitements, the social conflicts and cultural alignments, and the astonishing friendships that developed between three of the researchers and some of the chimpanzees—during the months preceding that tragic event. Was Ruth’s death an accident? Did she jump? Was she pushed? In an extended act of literary forensics, Goodall biographer Dale Peterson examines how Ruth’s death might have happened and explores some of the painful sequelae that haunted two of the survivors for the rest of their lives. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 10 | |
Beginnings November 1967 to June 1968 | 14 |
Acknowledgments | 205 |
Dramatis Personae | 209 |
| 215 | |
| 216 | |
| 217 | |
| 220 | |
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African Alphonse animals apes arrived B-record baboons bananas beach became began boat Bonnie Carole thought Carole's Cathy Charlie chimpanzees chimps dagaa dark dinner Faben feel felt females Ferdinand Figan fish fishermen followed forest Geza Geza and Ruth Geza Teleki Geza's going Gombe grass Grub hair happened head Hugh Hugo van Lawick human Jane and Hugo Jane Goodall July Kahama Kakombe Valley Kigoma knew lake Lake Tanganyika Land Rover Lawick letter living look Louis Leakey loved main camp makira Margaret meant Mike monkeys morning moved Nairobi never night Nyasanga Parks Patrick McGinnis Patti person photographs pirogue Rashidi red colobus ridge camp rondavel Ruth wrote Ruth's seemed sleep snake social someone soon started stayed stopped stream Swahili talk Tanzania tape things took tree trying turned walked wanted watching waterfall Watu path Worzle young