The answer to “why do chimpanzees kill each other?” is the usual: competition for limited resources in their habitats. In the animal kingdom, this is so common. It has been discovered that males often raid other chimpanzee groups aggressively, sometimes causing deaths. Meanwhile, females do engage in similar scenarios. They can kill infants and adult females though on a much smaller scale. Nevertheless, chimpanzees fighting in brutal fashion is an evolutionary adaptation. They can kill non-group members with the sole aim to defend their own territory. This reduces competition for the scarce food sources in their home range.
Also, male chimpanzees can attack and kill an infant within its own troop for selfish reasons. They do this to get a great chance of passing their own genes. This is because female chimpanzees enter estrus again 4-5 years later after giving birth. So, to force them back to estrus, the infant has to “go.” The best reason so far to the question “why do chimpanzees kill each other” is encroachment by humans in their natural homes. Deforestation for farming and settlement reduces space for chimps. As a result, they stay close to humans thus increasing competition for food. Subsequently, this causes brutal fights within chimps.
Where to find Chimpanzees?
Countries within the East African Community are known to provide some of the best chimpanzee tours in the continent. In the wild, you can see chimpanzees face-to-face in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo. The key destinations to meet chimps are described below,
Kibale National Park
Find Uganda’s largest chimpanzee numbers in this 795 square kilometer forested park. Kibale National Park offers a number of areas—including Kanyanchu—where chimpanzees can be tracked and seen by visitors. Habituation experiences are also offered, with visitors allowed to spend up to 4 hours with the chimpanzees. Recently, the chimpanzees that shelter in the Ngogo area engaged in a violent confrontation with each other. This was a civil war, as several chimpanzees were heavily injured while some lost their lives.
Nyungwe National Park
In Rwanda’s southwest Nyungwe National Park is found on land of 1,019 square kilometers. Several visitors travel to this rainforest each year to trek the chimpanzees that live inside. With chimpanzees, a total of 13 different species of only primates have been recorded inside Nyungwe. Others are blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys. More activities are offered at Nyungwe aside from chimp treks. They include zip lining, forest walk, canopy walk and birdwatching etc.
Kyambura Gorge
In Uganda’s western region is this small tropical forest whose length is 11 kilometers at Queen Elizabeth National Park. With 100 meters in terms of depth, visitors will happily descend into this pristine forest to see chimpanzees. Its single community of chimpanzees was habituated to make for a much safer chimpanzee trek. A part from chimps, red-tailed monkeys and black and white colobus monkeys live in Kyambura. They can be seen by visitors on chimp treks, or nature walks or birding tours.
Virunga National Park
This is a large tropical rainforest that covers 7,800 square kilometers in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo. A lot of chimpanzees can be seen as you explore this lush ecosystem. Additionally, this is the only destination known to shelter 3 great ape species of mountain gorilla, lowland gorilla and the chimps. Nevertheless, chimpanzee tours in Virunga National Park are not as popular as in other countries that have chimpanzees in the wild. A series of armed conflict inside and outside the park has drastically reduced visitor numbers into this destination.
Gombe National Park
In Tanzania, chimpanzees can be trekked in Gombe National Park, situated along the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika. Gombe National Park sits on 52 square kilometers of land in the western rift valley area. The park is where the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall carried out several behavioral surveys on the chimpanzees. Several other activities are available for visitors to do a part from seeing chimpanzees. Birdwatching is one of the key activities in the forest. Boat rides, sport fishing and nature walks offer peaceful experiences to visitors.
Other Chimpanzee Destinations
Without getting into details, Tanzania also offers chimpanzee tours in Mahale Mountains National Park, Rubondo Island National Park. Uganda also has other destinations where chimpanzee treks are done comfortably. Buhoma Forest, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest and others are pristine chimpanzee destinations to visit in Uganda. In Rwanda chimpanzees are also present in Gishwati-Mukura National Park. Trek them daily to meet a different community of the apes in their natural home.
