Michael Sean Strickland | The Midwife’s Tale : Assisting at the Birth of Language
HANDSKILLS
MATRILINES
DIALECTICS
PARASITISM
RESISTANCE
LIBERATION
Birthworks
continued walking and frequently stopped. She performed the characteristic squatting posture, touched her vaginal area and moved her hands from her vagina to her mouth and licked her fingers. The females Jill, Liboso, Lingala, and Nayembi continued to follow Kumbuka and only stopped to lick the birth fluids on the floor. The followers also inspected Kumbuka’s vaginal area by hands and mouth. At 16.04 the infant’s head and shoulders emerged while Kumbuka was still walking. She held the baby’s head with her left hand and continued walking. The group emitted soft-barks vocalizations.The preceding case of what could be called “peripatocia nervosa” contrasts with the, if not quite more relaxed, at least a bit less ambulatory case of “partus in cuniculo” observed by Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh (1989) on November 17, 1985, when the bonobo mother, 15-year-old Matata, gave birth — in the presence of her daughter Mulika, born a little less than two years previously — to her third infant, the female Panbanisha, while lying on her back, feet on the bars of “the location where she makes her night nests,” i.e., the tunnel connecting the indoor cage to the outdoor yard of her living space in the Language Research Center, Atlanta. A few minutes before lying down, however,At 16.05 the baby was born in the occiput posterior position (with the back of the head against the mother’s sacrum). The newborn was completely covered in a thick, greenish mucus and its mother was holding it by hands while walking bipedally, always followed by the same females (Coppola, Demuru and Palagi 2011: 112–113).
Matata stands in the tunnel, facing the observer, looking out of the cage. Tension wrinkles are present in her face and brow; her lips are pressed together and slightly pursed; her eyes are squinted; and she is sweating. She vocalizes with a high-pitched staccato sound. A minute later she lifts the tunnel door, looks out briefly, and lies down on her stomach. She rolls onto her right side, next onto her back, and inserts the toes of both feet into her swelling. She then props her feet on the tunnel bars and rests quietly for 1 min. A bit later, she gently squeezes her swelling with her hand and foot and vocalizes again (Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh 1989: 96).Such solicitous self-exploration is evidently conducive to bonobo parturition since, a minute before ditto,
Matata briefly puts her left hand to her vagina, licks her fingers, then manipulates her swelling with her toes. The vagina is now dilated, and the top of the fetus’ head has appeared. Matata touches her vagina, licks her fingers, and vocalizes. Again she squeezes the swelling with her hand. The head of the fetus becomes more clearly visible as Matata inserts her left thumb into her vagina. She keeps her thumb in the vagina as the infant’s head emerges into her hand. She then holds the head and shoulders and pulls gently. When the infant’s head and shoulders appear, she cradles the head. She carefully breaks the membrane that engulfs the infant by pressing her right index finger into the infant’s mouth. The infant emits a high-pitched sound as soon as the membrane is broken. Matata then gently delivers the rest of the infant’s body with her hand. As soon as the infant has emerged completely, Matata places her in the ventral position and cradles her with both hands and a foot. The infant vocalizes, Matata sits up and also vocalizes, but very softly now with a lower pitch, while looking at her newborn, Panbanisha (op. cit.: 96–97).And yet although Matata remained on her back during delivery, moving only enough to “gently pull” and “gently deliver” her infant, “carefully break” the membrane surrounding the infant’s head, and then “cradle her with both hands and a foot,” she did display, in addition to the prepartum signs of distress described above — tension wrinkles in face and brow; pressed pursed lips; squinting eyes; high-pitched staccato vocalization; brief searching gesture of lifting and looking out the tunnel door; sweating — a nervous walking-and-stopping behavior similar to Kumbuka’s since,
one day prior to both deliveries [of, e.g., Mulika, 1983, and Panbanisha, 1985], she began frequent pacing. This was atypical for her and was the first sign, on both occasions, that the birth was imminent. Nine to ten hours prior to delivery, Matata began to walk on the backs of her wrists and to assume stiff-standing postures, such as leaning forward with her posterior elevated or grasping blankets for support while in a prone position; she appeared to be straining at these times (op. cit.: 95).Matata’s “temporary, unusual, stiff-standing posture” involving “leaning forward with her posterior elevated” nine to ten hours before giving birth is not unlike that which Magrit, a 9- or 10-year-old bonobo primigravida in the Great Apes House of the Frankfurt Zoo, assumed about 25 minutes before she gave birth on January 22, 1962, “to a healthy male infant, Pan” (Kirchshofer 1963: 77) — “she stood on straightened, spread legs, bent forward, head propped on the ground and inspected her vulva between her legs [sie stand auf gestreckten, gespreizten Beinen vornübergebeugt, stützte den Kopf auf dem Boden auf und beobachtete zwischen den Beinen hindurch ihre Vulva]” (Kirchshofer 1962: 598). It is while thus “standing on her head [auf den Kopf gestellt]” (ibid.) that “the intact amniotic sac emerges [die geschlossene Fruchtblase tritt aus]” whereupon Magrit “feels it with her fingers and holds it with her hand [befühlt sie mit den Fingern und hält sie mit der Hand]” (ibid.). Yet whereas Matata’s amniotic sac ruptured “at 1 h, 13 min prior to delivery” of Panbanisha as a result of a “contraction bout” or episode of “overt straining (pushing with feet, rubbing vulva on substrate) or abrupt movement (pacing, rising to stand stiffly)” (Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh 1989: 95), and Kumbuka’s presumably (since Coppola, Demuru and Palagi 2011 do not note otherwise) sometime during her walking, stopping, squatting, and vaginal touching, Magrit actively ruptures hers, in a manner reminiscent of Matata’s careful breaking of “the membrane that engulfs the infant by pressing her right index finger into the infant’s mouth” (Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh 1989: 97); that is, when she, Magrit, “lies down and pokes the amniotic sac with her fingers until it bursts [legt sich hin und bohrt mit den Fingern an der Fruchtblase, bis diese platzt]” at fourteen minutes past noon
and the head of the infant becomes visible in the vulva. Face up, vertex first, it [the head] protrudes halfway out the birth opening [und der Kopf des Kindes in der Vulva sichtbar wird. Gesicht nach oben, Scheitel voraus ragt er halb aus der Geburtsöffnung] (Kirchshofer 1962: 598)Kirchshofer (1962: 601) further reiterates that “the infant was born with normal head presentation, vertex first, face up [das Kind wurde in normaler Kopflage, Scheitel voran, Gesicht nach oben, geboren].” And although, since this was the first observation of a bonobo birth, and the author does not specify, when Magrit “legt sich hin [lies down (or stretches herself out)],” whether she was prone, supine, or costal, it is hard to know what exactly “normaler Kopflage” and “Gesicht nach oben” means, it yet becomes evident, as the author continues her description, that she must mean what Coppola, Demuru and Palagi (2011) clearly state, and what figures three, four, and five of Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh (1989: 98–99) clearly illustrate, namely, that “the baby was born in the occiput posterior position (with the back of the head against the mother’s sacrum)” (Coppola, Demuru and Palagi 2011: 113), since Magrit now “holds the infant’s head with her hand [hält den Kopf des Kindes mit der Hand],” and at fifteen minutes past noon, “pulls it with her hands out of the birth opening and cradles it immediately, head upwards [zieht es mit den Händen aus der Geburtsöffnung heraus und drückt es sofort mit dem Kopf nach oben an sich]” (Kirchshofer 1962: 598). Moreover, while Kirchshofer (1963) further restates in English that
the female opened the amnion with her hands and drew the new born baby out of the birth opening by hand, all within the space of five minutes. She at once laid the infant down correctly, i.e. with the head uppermost, on her body and the baby immediately grasped her coat firmly. Its grasping reflex was thus already well developed (op. cit.: 77)she leaves out the following details of what happened immediately after she cradled the newborn to herself and before the German text describes the infant’s grasping reflex:
Then she lies on her back; Camilla rushes hither and rubs her swollen vulva against that of the parturient Magrit (cf. above). To isolate the accouchée, a neighboring cage is opened; [Magrit] goes into it immediately, legs shaking badly, firmly pressing the infant to herself with one arm, she immediately gathers with the other, free, arm nest-material from the shelf and lies down amidst the wood shavings. The infant is attached to the finger-thick, white, conspicuously long umbilical cord [Dann legt sie sich auf den Rücken; Camilla stürzt herbei und reibt ihre geschwollene Vulva gegen die der gebärenden M. (vgl. oben). Um die Wöchnerin abzusperren, öffnet man den leeren Nachbarkäfig; sie geht sofort hinein, zittert stark in den Beinen, preßt ihr Kind mit einem Arm fest an sich, holt sich sofort mit den anderen freien Arm Genist vom Sitzbrett und legt sich mitten in die Holzwolle. Das Kind hängt an der fingerdicken, weißen, auffallend langen Nabelschnur] (Kirchshofer 1962: 598)Thus, Magrit, the parturient (Wöchnerin, accouchée), was isolated only after she gave birth; only after the other female of the three bonobos kept by the Frankfurt Zoo at the time, Camilla, age unknown, burst in (from where is not specified) for a brief bout of GG rubbing, the opportunistic nature of which is clarified by Kirchshofer’s “cf. above [vgl. oben]”:
Noticeable from the beginning was a sort of lesbian behavior of the two females. After the first two mating sessions with Magrit and Camillo, “Camilla” approached the still recumbent Magrit, embraced her with one arm and rubbed her likewise swollen vulva against that of Magrit, which the latter passively let happen. One could also observe it time and again in other positions. Camilla is thus the active partner. So far I have not once seen Magrit invite Camilla, whereas she readily offered herself to the male [Auffällig war von Anfang an eine Art lesbisches Verhalten beider Weibchen. Nach der ersten 2 Paarungen con Magrit und Camillo näherte sich „Camilla“ der noch liegenden Magrit, umfaßte sie mit einem Arm und rieb ihre ebenfalls angeschwollene Vulva gegen die der Magrit, was diese widerstandslos geschehen ließ. Man kann es immer wieder auch in anderen Haltungen beobachten. Camilla ist dabei die aktive Partnerin. Nie sah ich bisher, daß Magrit Camilla aufforderte, während sie sich dem Männchen sehr wohl anbot] (ibid.).On the morning of March 6, 2013, at the Luikotale Bonobo Project field site in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Luna, a bonobo who had been “first observed in 2008 as an immigrant, nulliparous adolescent female in the Bompusa community” (Douglas 2014: 534), was giving birth to her first offspring, the female Leah, in the day nest she had built about ten minutes earlier in a small tree five or six meters above ground, the adult female bonobo Uma, who had built a day nest one or two meters from Luna’s, “exited her nest and approached the edge of Luna’s nest. Zoe,” who had been “peering into Luna’s nest from the periphery, [...] initiated genito-genital rubbing (GG rubbing) with Uma, within 1 m of Luna’s nest. They peered into Luna’s nest with apparent interest, resting at the periphery of the nest” (op. cit.: 535). "The birth occurred in Luna's nest. She appeared to be in a low crouching position or lying down during delivery of the infant" (Douglas 2014: 535). “One of the attending females (Zoe) had been identified as a specific senior female with whom Luna frequently associated and exchanged grooming in previous field seasons” (Douglas 2014: 538). * * * * * (at least from her fellow female bonobo, Camilla [age unknown]; no mention is made whether the third, male, bonobo in the Frankfurt Zoo at the time, and father of Pan, Camillo, was present or not)
The female “Magrit” is about 9-10 years old. She came to our zoo on 18.11.1959. Since she came into human care while still an infant (previous owner: Leopoldville Zoo) and on her arrival [in Frankfurt] was not yet sexually mature, we know for certain that this is her first birth. Her infant is a male. We baptized it “Pan”. Pan’s father is “Camillo”. He came to the Frankfurt Zoo on 19.4.1955 and is about 10 years old. A few years later the female “Camilla” was introduced to him. Mating was often observed, but no signs of pregnancy. [Das Weibchen „Magrit“ ist etwa 9–10jährig. Sie kam am 18.11.1959 in unseren Zoo. Da sie schon als Kind in menschliche Pflege gekommen (Vorbesitzer: Zoo Leopoldville) und bei ihrer Ankunft noch nicht geschlechtsreif war, wissen wir genau, daß dies ihre erste Geburt ist. Ihr Kind ist ein Männchen. Wir tauften es „Pan“. Vater zu Pan ist „Camillo“. Er kam am 19.4.1955 in den Frankfurter Zoo und ist etwa 10jährig. Ihm war wenige Jahre später das Weibchen „Camilla“ zugestellt worden. Paarungen wurden häufig beobachtet, aber keinerlei Anzeichen einer Schwangerschaft] (Kirchshofer 1962: 597).
On January 22, 1962, at 12:14 pm, in the Great Apes House of the Frankfurt Zoological Garden, “the head of the infant becomes visible in the vulva [der Kopf des Kindes in der Vulva sichtbar wird]” of his mother, the captive primiparous approximately 9- or 10-year-old bonobo, Magrit (Kirchshofer 1962: 598), after the latter “lies down and pokes with her fingers at the amniotic sac until it bursts [legt sich hin und bohrt mit den Fingern an der Fruchtblase, bis diese platzt]” (ibid.). The face of the infant (who will be named Pan) is upwards, the vertex protrudes halfway out the birth opening [Gesicht nach oben, Scheitel voraus ragt er halb aus der Geburtsöffnung] (ibid.). “The infant was born in normal head presentation, vertex first, face upwards [Das Kind wurde in normaler Kopflage, Scheitel voran, Gesicht nach oben, geboren]” (op. cit.: 601).After her arrival, Magrit was initially kept in quarantine for 3 weeks. Towards the end of this time she showed clear signs of heat: her vulva swelled greatly; otherwise completely tame and obedient, she became restless, unreliable and did not follow immediately. During each tussle with either her current caretaker or with me, she now escalated towards an unnaturally agitated excitement and arousal. She was much more active and aggressive than before, constantly emitted short, rapid gasp-sounds [pant-hoot? low hooting? panting laugh? or perhaps de Waal's (1988) rasp scream: "a modulated scream, which sounds hoarser and more more rasping than the other scream types. A double tone may be distinguished by ear, as if there are two voices in one" (213). "35 screams occurred in the sexual context, and many of these vocalizations were of the rasp scream type. [...] the rasp scream may be of a less agonistic nature than the other scream types. While the other types express various degrees of fear of, submission to, and protest against aggressive individuals, the rasp scream may include more positive motivations such as social interaction and sexual excitement" (214)], barely looked at her human play-partner, but rather “was everywhere with her eyes,” in short, she acted harassed and unstable. [Nach ihrer Ankunft wurde Magrit zunächst 3 Wochen in Einzel-Quarantäne gehalten. Gegen Ende dieser Zeit zeigte sie deutliche Anzeichen von Hitze: ihre Vulva schwoll stark an; sonst vollständig zahm und folgsam, wurde sie unruhig, unzuverlässig und folgte nicht mehr sofort. Bei jedem Balgen mit dem jeweiligen Pfleger oder mit mir steigerte sie sich jetzt in eine unnatürlich wirkende Lebendigkeit und Erregung hinein. Sie zeigte sich viel aktiver und aggressiver als zuvor, stieß laufend kurze, rasche Keuchlaute aus, sah aber dabei kaum den menschlichen Spielpartner an, sondern „war mit ihren Augen überall“, kurz, sie wirkte gehetzt und unausgeglichen] (Kirchshofer 1962: 597).
On 9.12.1959 we introduced her to the two other bonobos in the Great Apes House. Barely in the cage, she was mated by Camillo more hominem. Magrit behaved silently and invited the male by laying on her back and embracing him, likewise again a few minutes later: She put an arm around Camillo and pulled him down to her. This pairing also proceeded silently. Only afterwards, as the two of them ate, did they repeatedly utter short, bright cries [Am 9.12.1959 brachten wir sie zu den beiden anderen Bonobos in das Menschenaffenhaus. Kaum im Käfig, wurde sie von Camillo more hominem begattet. Magrit verhielt sich schweigend und forderte das Männchen durch Auf-den-Rücken-legen und Umarmen auf, ebenso nochmals einige Min. später: Sie legte einen Arm um Camillo und zog ihn zu sich herunter. Auch diese Paarung verlief schweigend. Erst nachher, als beide aßen, stießen sie immer wieder kurze, helle Schreie aus] (Kirchshofer 1962: 597–598).
Over the next few days, I observed multiple pairings performed the same way while lying or squatting. Each time the female laid first an arm, usually the right, around the male; sometimes both embraced each other on both sides [Während der nächsten Tage beobachtete ich mehrfach Paarungen, die auf die gleiche Weise im Liegen oder im Hocken ausgeführt wurden. Jedesmal legte zuerst das Weibchen einen Arm, meist den rechten, um das Männchen; manchmal umarmten sich anschließend beide beidseitig] (Kirchshofer 1962: 598)
Noticeable from the beginning was a kind of lesbian behavior in both females. After the first two mating sessions with Magrit and Camillo, “Camilla” approached the still recumbent Magrit, embraced her with one arm and rubbed her likewise swollen vulva against that of Magrit, which the latter passively let happen. One could also observe it time and again in other positions. Camilla is thus the active partner. So far I have not once seen Magrit invite Camilla, whereas she readily offered herself to the male [Auffällig war von Anfang an eine Art lesbisches Verhalten beider Weibchen. Nach der ersten 2 Paarungen con Magrit und Camillo näherte sich „Camilla“ der noch liegenden Magrit, umfaßte sie mit einem Arm und rieb ihre ebenfalls angeschwollene Vulva gegen die der Magrit, was diese widerstandslos geschehen ließ. Man kann es immer wieder auch in anderen Haltungen beobachten. Camilla ist dabei die aktive Partnerin. Nie sah ich bisher, daß Magrit Camilla aufforderte, während sie sich dem Männchen sehr wohl anbot] (Kirchshofer 1962: 598). According to Tratz and Heck (1954), the mating Bonobo male approaches the female first with friendly tones, but then he suddenly strikes her energetically with his hand or forearm against the neck or throat, so that she falls on her back. I did not see that in our bonobos. However, Camillo did not need it, as Magrit was willing to help him with her request. Anyway, it is also without “neck injury”. [Nach Tratz und Heck (1954) nähert sich das paarungslustige Bonobo Männchen dem Weibchen zunächst mit freundlichen Lauten, dann aber schlägt er ihr plötzlich energisch mit der Hand oder dem Unterarm gegen den Hals oder die Kehle, so daß sie auf den Rücken fällt. Derartiges sah ich bei unseren Bonobos nicht. Allerdings hatte Camillo es nicht nötig, da Magrit willig war und ihm mit ihrer Aufforderung zuvorkam. Jedenfalls geht es auch ohne „Halsschlag“] (Kirchshofer 1962: 598).
what
the bonobo mother Matata “gently squeezes her swelling with her hand and foot and vocalizes” (Bolser and Savage-Rumbaugh 1989: 96). This tunnel where Matata will give birth on November 17, 1985, to Panbanisha, her second infant, “is also the location where she makes her night nests” (94). Matata’s first child, Mulika, born December 22, 1983, is present and will approach to look and peer at her younger sister whom Matata cradles and jiggles while vocalizing two minutes after birth (97).Als ich am 22.1.1962, 12.10h im Menschenaffenhaus eintraf, trat bei Magrit gerade die Fruchtblase aus. Erste Preßwehen hatte Herr Klose schon 11.50h beobachtet. Dabei hatte sich Magrit förmlich auf den Kopf gestellt, d.h. sie stand auf gestreckten, gespreizten Beinen vornübergebeugt, stützte den Kopf auf dem Boden auf und beobachtete zwischen den Beinen hindurch ihre Vulva.
12.12h: Die geschlossene Fruchtblase tritt aus. M. befühlt sie mit den Fingern und hält sie mit der Hand, legt sich hin und bohrt mit den Fingern an der Fruchtblase, bis diese
12.14h: platzt und der Kopf des Kindes in der Vulva sichtbar wird. Gesicht nach oben, Scheitel voraus ragt er halb aus der Geburtsöffnung. M. hält den Kopf des Kindes mit der Hand,
12.15h: zieht es mit den Händen aus der Geburtsöffnung heraus und drückt es sofort mit dem Kopf nach oben an sich. Dann legt sie sich auf den Rücken; Camilla stürzt herbei und reibt ihre geschwollene Vulva gegen die der gebärenden M. (vgl. oben). Um die Wöchnerin abzusperren, öffnet man den leeren Nachbarkäfig; sie geht sofort hinein, zittert stark in den Beinen, preßt ihr Kind mit einem Arm fest an sich, holt sich sofort mit den anderen freien Arm Genist vom Sitzbrett und legt sich mitten in die Holzwolle. Das Kind hängt an der fingerdicken, weißen, auffallend langen Nabelschnur (Kirchshofer 1962: 598).
apparently came out with the sagittal suture in the midline, occiput posterior, but almost at once the face rotated to the left. While the top of the scalp was presenting, [Marianne] plucked the hairs from it and ate them. After the head was delivered she continued plucking the hairs, and with her hand wiping off the moisture which she licked also. In one minute she began tugging at the head and putting her fingers into the mouth of the young to pull it. The cord was once completely around the neck. The eyes were shut and there was no attempt to breathe. Again suddenly [Sultan, locked in the adjoining “inside cage”] set up a scream, in which she joined and jumped to the top of the box with one leap. The body of the fetus was expelled with great rapidity and fell to the straw two feet below. [Marianne] paused a few seconds, felt of her perineum, and then approached the baby and smelled, all the while licking her lips. The baby was not breathing, nor did it breathe for many seconds. She overlay it and put her mouth to its mouth. There was a distinct heaving respiration on the part of the mother, and it seemed to the writer, to Mr. Dill, and to Mr. McCrossen that she was blowing into the baby’s mouth. The writer makes this statement with considerable reserve, and would not make it were it not that the act was repeated one minute later. Following the first probable artificial respiration, the baby breathed. This was perhaps one minute or one minute and a half after delivery. Then there were several seconds without respiration, when another heave was noted. Following the second “blowing” by the mother, respirations became more frequent and were perhaps ten seconds apart. During this minute or so, the mother overlay and cuddled the baby as it lay in the hay, mouthing it, licking it a little, investigating it and opening its mouth, and then later tried to open its eyes. After three or four minutes she left it and began to draw the straw up around her for a bed. A few seconds after she left it, the baby gave a wheeze and little cry, whereupon the mother rushed back to it, covered it, cuddled and mouthed it, and began what might be called kissing it. She then left it and returned to making a bed with the straw, in the midst of which she sat, ever and anon stretching out to cover, cuddle and investigate the baby (op. cit.: 43).On October 7, 1935, in the chimpanzee breeding colony of the Yale Laboratories of Primate Biology at Orange Park, Florida, “the crown of [an] infant’s head,” according to Elder and Yerkes (1936: 412), “was visible” at 6:31 pm local time in the vulva of his mother Josie when the latter, in “a crouching position,” “turned to lick [...] up” “a small quantity of fluid [...] expelled” therefrom.
Up to this time no enlargement of the vulva or bulging of the perineum had been noticed. Changes in the female’s position, however, prevented continuous observation. Delivery of the head required about two minutes after it was first seen through the vulval opening. Josie at the time lay on her left side, holding the head of the infant with one hand. She did not seem to be aiding or retarding the advance of the trunk, but merely supporting the head. At 6.35 the entire body was delivered with a single contraction. The placenta was expelled three minutes later while the female was in a half-crouching position. She did not pull on the cord. Although the lighting was at times unsatisfactory, observations were sufficiently satisfactory to justify dogmatic statement that this was a case of vertex presentation with occiput anterior. Whether of right or left variety is not known (ibid.).Josie, estimated to be thirteen years old at the time, had been brought to Florida in 1930 from a “private zoo” in Michigan, and was known to have been pregnant twice before, the first ending in abortion on June 10, 1932, due to “either nutritional inadequacy or emotional disturbance” (op. cit.: 410), the second bringing forth on July 15, 1933, “a normal, full-term infant, which she was allowed to nurse for one year” (ibid.). The birth observed on October 7, 1935, was the issue of her third pregnancy resulting from a “controlled mating” with Jack on February 16, 1935, “which was the 24th day after the onset of menstrual bleeding” (ibid.). Wild capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus), Arunachal Pradesh, India:
On the day of parturition, 23 December 2001, we noted in the morning that the mother [was] feeding irregularly, and less than usual. At 13:06 hours, she distanced herself from other group members by moving nearly 20 ft. away to another tree (Ficus hispida), which is a roosting tree. The mother showed signs of nervousness and lay down on the triangular junction in the middle canopy of the tree, nearly 35 min prior to parturition. At 13:45 hours she started calling very stridently while the rest of the group was feeding. The other group members looked at her for some time and resumed feeding. At 13:50 hours, other females of the group approached the still vocalizing female and gathered around her. They groomed her but she continued to vocalize in a distressed manner. At 14:28 hours, 43 min after she started calling, she stopped calling, and we saw her with the newborn infant. ¶ During parturition, three adults and one subadult female accompanied the mother while the male sat looking approximately 10 ft. away [Kumar, Solanki, Sharma 2005: 215–216].Wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), Yakushima Island, Japan:
On the day of birth, females reduced the time spent ≤3 m of other adult troop members. Overall interaction with males was greatly reduced. Time spent with males, grooming with males, and aggression received from males, all decreased on the day of birth. Moreover, females dramatically increased rejection of male grooming presentations from about 5 to 95%. Grooming received from other females, however, did not differ across the periparturient periods [Thomsen, Soltis 2000: 694].
Michael Sean Strickland | The Midwife’s Tale : Assisting at the Birth of Language