By Serge K. Soiret, GAP correspondent in West Africa, from Ivory Coast 

Drumming is one way to communicate among chimpanzees. For us who follow them, the drumming allows us to locate them in the forest and go near them to spend the whole day. It is done exclusively by adult males in the forest.

Chimpanzees do it in many circumstances: to bring together the group dispersed or to join the group at the discovery of a food source. When a male chimpanzee does not find the others, he hits the buttress ⁽¹⁾ of large trees and then others respond by shouting or drumming.

The drumming of a group of chimpanzees in an area “A” is different from that of an area “B”. This allows them to mark their territory and to avoid deadly combats.

Often the chimpanzees in the forest drum at night, in the case the number one enemy “Gui”⁽²⁾ is lurking in the vicinity. The adult male gets off his nest perched in the tree and hits the buttress for drive away the panther and to communicate to other chimpanzees in the nests to be cautious.

Our parents today in our villages tell us in stories around the fire that “Boua” ⁽³⁾ is an excellent tam tam player during the party they organize in the forest.

⁽¹⁾Buttress: projecting part of a large tree which can produce sound

⁽²⁾Gui: name of the panther in kroumen local language

⁽³⁾Boua: name of the chimpanzee in kroumen local language

Watch here a video of a chimpanzee called Djêbgê in the forest doing drumming