First time attack on gorillas by chimpanzees

According to the new research, it has been wild chimpanzees that attacked and killed gorillas. It’s the rare example so far, a great ape attacking on the same species of another. It was found at Loango National Park in Gabon, Africa’s western coast.

As per reports of the scientists, it could be the increasing competition of food among the ape species in Loango National Park, possibly due to climate change. It seems that natural world being upside down by climate change due to human activities that are not suitable for the nature.

Scientists had been observing the apes since many years under Loango Chimpanzee project. As per the studies, apes have always remained peaceful and occassionaly co-fed in fruiting trees.

In the first encounter, male gorillas made sudden invasion into a neighbouring chimpanzee territory. Initially, there were screams of chimpanzees and scientists thought it were chimpanzees that had met by chance to another group of chimpanzees. But, the fact was different.

In the first encounter, a group of twenty five chimpanzees attacked five gorillas- two males, two adult females and one infant. The Gorillas made different body postures, threatening gestures, to defend themselves, but all had gone in vain. The four adults somewhere managed to escape, but their infant died. Several chimpanzees were injured during the battle.

In second encounter, again twenty five chimpanzees were there. They attacked group of seven gorillas, leaving one infant dead. The infant was killed by female chimpanzee this time. Earlier the infant was left alone dead.

It could also be, when fruits are at their ripest and there are high competitions between the chimpanzee and gorillas. Effects of deforestation, climate change and other factors could also be the reasons of change in behaviour of the apes and their interaction with one another.

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