Super Harbaugh Rivalry Bros: The Gombe Chimpanzee War

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[source]

What do you think about civil wars, Jim?

[source]

I’d say we’re probably bound for one soon if things keep on the way they have been thus far.

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Since I’ve watched all the film that’s ever been created in the history of football, and with the league still not letting us run workouts over webcam 20 hours a day, I’m on to reading everything I can about civil war stuff. Not just here in the US, either.

Oh Johnny. I know all about civil wars. The Boxer Rebellion, General Franco, Soviets in Afghanistan… you name it, I know it. But what do you know about chimpanzee civil war, brother of mine?

THE GOMBE CHIMPANZEE WAR

Combatant 1: A group of chimpanzees

Combatant 2: Another group of chimpanzees

Location of Conflict: Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania

Tanzania Horizon Safaris - Budget Tanzania Safari, Serengeti ...
[source]
Reason for Conflict: Somebody didn’t like their new leader.

What happened? In 1974, warfare erupted between groups of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, where famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall completed much of her groundbreaking work. According to Goodall’s research notes, the discovery that other species engaged in violent conflict was an earth-shattering revelation for many wildlife experts. Dr. Goodall has noted that some female chimps will kill, and sometimes even eat, the young of other female chimps in order to maintain their power and dominance in the social hierarchy of a group… which is pretty crazy in and of itself. But as her research showed, there was much yet to be discovered about chimpanzee behavior and its subsequent relation to the development of human behaviors and interactions.

Jane Goodall on 21st-Century Environmentalism and the National ...
Dr. Jane Goodall in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. [source]
When Jane Goodall began her research in Gombe in 1960, she found that the chimps, particularly the male ones, were all living and interacting quite harmoniously, but by the end of the decade, there were some notable splits showing – males in the Kasakela tribe began to form two separate groups, with one controlling the northern territory of their traditional region and the other controlling the southern. The Kasakela retained many of the males, but a small upstart faction known as the Kahama took a few others. What caused this split in the chimp group is still unclear – from research done both by Dr. Goodall and by other scientists, it appears as though this is an extremely rare event to take place, with the possibility that some tribes can last for hundreds of years through successive generations, based on genetic sampling. To this day, the Gombe War is the only known instance of a full-scale chimpanzee war. Some possibilities include the Kahama males not liking the power grab of Hugh to become the new alpha, or perhaps a lack of fertile female chimps to mate with in the tribe.

In Goodall’s work, she broke with what had been traditional practise up to about 1960 by giving every chimp their own individual and distinct name, which she felt fit well with the behaviors and personality of each animal. As such, the combatants for the Gombe Chimpanzee War were as follows:

Kasakela: Figan (alpha chimp), Humphrey, Mike, Satan, Sherry, Evered, Rodolf, Jomeo

Kahama: Hugh & Charlie (co-alpha chimps), Godi, De, Goliath, Willy Wally, Sniff (adolescent)

All these names rule, quite honestly. It sets the stage nicely for the bloodbath that was to follow.

Chimps beat up, murder and then cannibalise their former tyrant ...
Chimps can be absolutely vicious, given the circumstances… [source]
The Aftermath: Over the next four years, the Kasakela systemically went out and killed every single male of the Kahama group, destroying them forever. The process took a long time due to the need for the Kasakela war party to sneak up on each Kahama rival individually, catching him by surprise and overwhelming him. Chimp attacks are vicious, using teeth, hands, and brute strength, grabbing, ripping and biting at anything they can get their hands on. The Kasakela took out Godi first, following shortly after with successful attacks on De, and then later on Hugh, one of the Kahama co-alphas. Later, the Kasakela killed Goliath, a former alpha male, despite the fact he had shown kindness to them in previous interactions. With only three males left – and with Willy Wally crippled from polio – the Kahama’s days were numbered. When Charlie was killed, Willy Wally ran away and was never seen again. With the young Sniff as the last chimp standing, the Kasakela victory was all but complete. He went into hiding for over a year, but upon re-emergence, was finally killed, ending the war with the Kasakela claiming complete victory.

The Kasakela took over the Kahama territory and took control of the three remaining females left, but their victory was short-lived; thanks to border skirmishes with the neighboring Kalande tribe, the Kasakela were forced to give up most of their territorial gains shortly after the war’s end in 1978. The Kasakela tribe lives on to this day; the current alpha male is Fudge, who is Figan’s grand-nephew. He has had control of the tribe since 2016, when he asserted his dominance over his uncle Ferdinand.

Good news is I’ve got an inside line to recruiting these guys. So long as we can get the helmets and gloves on ’em, that is. They could be the greatest special teamers of all time if we do away with the fair catch rule, really…

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Jimmy, I know there was that time in our teens when I almost managed to steal your eyeballs, but all I’m saying is that if you’re not careful, those apes may well make you pay for it this time. Charlton Heston had a point, brother of mine.

***

Information for this article taken from here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Banner image by The Maestro.

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The Maestro
The Maestro is a mystical Canadian internet user and New England Patriots fan; when the weather is cooperative and the TV signal at his igloo is strong enough, he enjoys watching the NFL, the Ottawa Senators & REDBLACKS, and yelling into the abyss on Twitter. He is somehow allowed to teach music to high school students when he isn't in a blind rage about sports, and is also a known connoisseur of cheap beers across the Great White North.
https://www.doorfliesopen.com/index.php/author/the-maestro/
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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Ook War to end all ook wars.

Dunstan
Gumbygirl

That’s the one I was trying to think of!

rockingdog

Found a funny:
welcome back. if you’re just joining us, it’s getting worse and there’s no one in charge

Gumbygirl

Shock the monkey tonight

https://youtu.be/CnVf1ZoCJSo

ballsofsteelandfury

VERY appropriate!

ALXMAC
ALXMAC

Friendly Reminder that Sondre Lerche is doing a takeover of “Bandsintown” in a little over an hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndB0r5vpbpc&t=16s

ALXMAC
ALXMAC
ALXMAC

That’s not one of the 40 Licks LoL

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

ALXMAC already got this one; edit may still be possible.

Viva La Tabula Raza

Yep.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Great choice.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

IF THAT’S HIS REAL NAME!!

Viva La Tabula Raza

Needs to buy another vowel?

ALXMAC
ALXMAC
ALXMAC
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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LemonJello

Stylish Ook!

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Also; “Why disturb ook me in my ook off hours?! I do not ook get paid ook overtime, ook salary OOK!”

Viva La Tabula Raza

My OOK runneth over.

Dunstan

“Dr. Goodall has noted that some female chimps will kill, and sometimes even eat, the young of other female chimps in order to maintain their power and dominance in the social hierarchy of a group”

These chimps are known as “Karens.”

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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We are done here.

Sharkbait

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Well, crap.

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Viva La Tabula Raza

I always wondered if that was supposed to be some shading indicating a wall or if the gorilla just had a really radical mohawk.

Brick Meathook

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Need to update this to Catholic neighborhoods.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

This type of aggressive behavior was also seen in Ronald Reagan when he was out-acted by Bonzo which later became a passive/ aggressive behavior introducing the new era of uncontrolled deficit spending with no regard for revenue.

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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We all know what happened after that.

ballsofsteelandfury

I’m really curious as to why she named one “Satan”.

Don T

Satan is my motor!

/sends recently received apology text to email, prints it, chews it

Blech!

/spits wad onto trashcan

ballsofsteelandfury

Bundesliga is coming back!

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

I DRINK THE BLOOD OF……..Sniff.”

SonOfSpam

Sabres fan?

ArmedandHammered

The data and observations he provided her were all lies.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Damn gubermint “scientists!!”

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

He brings the little chimps gifts every year in disguise and only exists in the mind as a concept.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Oh wait, that is a couple of other things.