Chimp Video: Mother and Child Reunion

If you missed National Geographic's documentary in April about the Fongoli chimpanzees in Senegal, Chimps: Next of Kin, check out this remarkable video. It shows field researchers returning a stolen baby chimp to her mother and community. The researchers place the baby in a cloth bag, find her home group in the woods, set her down at a safe distance, loosen the bag, and wait with 'bated breath to see what will happen. A young male orphan named Mike figures in as something of a hero.

The lead scientist involved, anthropologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Jill Pruetz, is known for some exciting discoveries:

• making spears to use in hunting
• chimpanzees sheltering in caves, which is behavior akin to that of early hominids

There's also a recent profile of Pruetz in the Des Moines Register.