A War Between Animals That Lasted Four Years
Although it seems science fiction, a war between animals is possible and they occur continuously. Some species that form groups and defend territories have had battles over the years ; one of the most recorded is a war between animals that lasted four years.
Chimpanzees: capable of the worst and the best
The protagonists of this war between animals are chimpanzees, perhaps one of the best known primates, given its use in the film industry, in animal experimentation or because of its presence in circuses and homes.
The famous primatologist Jane Goodall has been observing this species for more than four decades, in which she has seen that chimpanzees are able to use tools, mourn the death of loved ones or understand concepts such as justice.
But he also discovered that chimpanzees could equal the worst crimes that humans committed: infanticides and murders to get to power could also be executed by these apes. Among its most unknown behaviors, the war between animals stands out.
Preamble to a war between animals
It was in January 1974 when this warlike conflict between primates broke out that would last four years, and that Jane Goodall herself baptized as the Gombe war in some of her books, in reference to the Tanzanian national park in which she studied these primates.
After more than a decade of study, Jane began to observe how the community of chimpanzees that she had studied for 10 years began to divide; At that time, Mike, an alpha male chimpanzee, reigned. In the twilight of the reign of Mike the chimpanzee something began to change, and of the 14 adult males, six began to spend time away from the group.
This new group began to occupy a territory to the south of the rest of the clan, and its members included two young males known as Hugh and Charlie. The males of both groups began to avoid each other and to patrol their newly divided territories, a preview of what would be a war between animals.
The beginning of the war between animals
Two years passed and Jane herself went on to document how a group had split into two communities, but she was unaware of what was about to happen. The encounters between the two groups began to become tense: vocalizations and the so-called displays , a way to release tension without reaching the fight.
It is then that the battle broke out and we return to an afternoon in 1974, in which a primate patrol from the southern group decided to go on the road and met Godi, a male from the northern group. With stealth, the members of the southern group reached Godi and immobilized him among several; No longer able to defend himself, they beat him up for 10 minutes.
The outcome of the war between animals
This first murder would give rise to a real civil war that would last four years. Little by little, the southern chimpanzee community, nicknamed Kasakela, would kill one by one the males of the northern or Kahama community ; They would even kidnap three Kahama females.
This veritable war between animals would end all members of the Kahama community, causing the Kasakela males to take over the former territory of this clan of chimpanzees.
Along with other behaviors of this species described by Goodall, such as cannibalism, hunting or the use of tools, the truth is that the war between animals that took place in Gombe is a historical fact in the study of animal behavior.
