Researchers document 'civil war' among Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda
newsApr 10, 20264124
A 30-year study of Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park documents a community split into two factions. One faction then carried out 24 coordinated attacks against the rivals, killing members of the opposing group. Researchers recorded those attacks as organized, repeated campaigns that excluded and eliminated rivals from territory and social access. The findings change understanding of primate social behavior, showing chimpanzees can wage sustained lethal intergroup violence and altering conservation and evolutionary perspectives.
Key Highlights
A 30-year study tracked Ngogo chimpanzee behavior in Kibale National Park.
One faction launched 24 coordinated attacks against the rival group.
Those attacks included lethal violence that killed members of the opposing group.
3 sources
bbc.comChimpanzees in Uganda locked in vicious 'civil war', say researchersgettheflies.comWild chimpanzees recorded waging 'civil war' with coordinated attacks between two groupsnypost.comHundreds of chimpanzees are killing each other in a ‘civil war’ — scientists captured the ‘lethal violence’ for the first time