No Mercy for the Old or Young... Ugandan Chimpanzees Locked in 'Civil War'

Uganda's Chimpanzees Divided Into Two Groups, Locked in Civil War
Chaos Erupts After Alpha Male Replacement and Disease Outbreak

Chimpanzees living in Uganda are reported to have been engaged in a civil war for more than a decade. The conflict has been so brutal that even adult members and infants of rival groups are being killed. Although this is a tragedy of intraspecies conflict, anthropologists expect that the ongoing war among the chimpanzees will provide valuable opportunities to study conflict within primate societies.

According to CNN on April 21 (local time), a recent study on primate civil wars was published in the international scientific journal Science. The primates highlighted in this research are chimpanzees living in Uganda. More than 200 individual chimpanzees reside together in Uganda, and the ecological science project observing them has been referred to in academic circles as the "Ngogo Chimpanzee Project."

However, since 2015, a division has emerged among the Ngogo chimpanzees. The chimpanzees began organizing themselves into 'Central' and 'Western' factions, leading to ongoing conflict. According to the research team, both Central and Western chimpanzees have formed patrol groups to scout their territories and occasionally engage in battles.

The Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda lived together peacefully before the civil war broke out. Yonhap News

The Western chimpanzees are reported to be far more aggressive than their Central counterparts. The study found that Western chimpanzees organize up to 15 patrols per month and, on average, kill one adult and two infant chimpanzees each year. The research team explained that this is likely because the Western group developed strong cohesion earlier than the Central group.

At one time, all the chimpanzees could roam freely across the entire territory. Now, however, they have split into Western and Eastern factions, resulting in the formation of a 'border.' Currently, the Western chimpanzees are pushing the Central group further east, expanding their territorial boundaries.

In 2019, the Western chimpanzees even attempted a surprise attack. During this incident, one of the oldest chimpanzees, named Bashi, lost its life. The current death toll among the Central group stands at seven adults and 17 infants, and there are also 14 missing chimpanzees who are presumed to have sustained fatal injuries.

Aaron Sandel, a participant in the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project and the lead scientist behind this study, told the media, "Chimpanzees I know so well are dying, and it is truly heartbreaking." He added, "Sometimes I feel like a war correspondent."

However, he also said, "I feel as though we are reaching the essence, the core of what it means to be a chimpanzee," adding, "By observing them, we are opening a window not only into insights about chimpanzees themselves but also into their minds and emotions."

How did the chimpanzees end up in a civil war? Researchers speculate that a change in the alpha male among the Ngogo group in 2015, and the outbreak of a respiratory disease in 2017, led to the split.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.