Chimpanzees are now largely considered brutal animals， prone to unprovoked attacks on smaller creatures. There are even documented instances of them collectively attacking silverback gorillas and engaging in extremely violent intra-species warfare.
Few may have heard of the “Gombe Chimpanzee War.”
This conflict was meticulously documented by the legendary primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall in Gombe National Park， Tanzania. This four-year chimpanzee war fundamentally altered our understanding of these primates.
△ Dr. Jane Goodall with chimpanzees
For a brief introduction， Dr. Jane Goodall is a scientist primarily known for her extensive research on chimpanzee behavior. At the age of 26 in 1960， she ventured into the African jungle alone， immersing herself within chimpanzee communities. She gave names to chimpanzee groups and individuals， living alongside them and observing their behaviors for an astounding 55 years.
Prior to Dr. Goodall’s work， chimpanzees were generally perceived as docile creatures that did not hunt. It was her groundbreaking research that unveiled their “darker side.”
The Gombe chimpanzee war story began in 1970， marking Dr. Goodall’s tenth year of observing chimpanzees in Africa.
△ This is Dr. Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee feeding station in Gombe.
In that year， Dr. Goodall and her colleagues were observing a chimpanzee community within Gombe National Park， which they had named the “Kasakela” community.
According to her records， this community was remarkably cohesive under the leadership of a long-standing alpha male， “Mike.”
In 1970， Mike lost his alpha status (the specific circumstances of his dethronement are not detailed in the literature， but it was likely through force， although he remained within the community and was relatively peaceful afterward)， which led to a schism within the group. This mirrors human societal dynamics， where highly cohesive groups can be prone to division after the loss of a leader， as individuals often develop strong allegiances to that leader， making it difficult for them to accept a new one.
Following Mike’s departure from the leadership， a male named “Humphrey” became the new leader of the Kasakela community. However， two strong male chimpanzees， brothers “Hugh” and “Charlie，” clearly did not accept Humphrey’s rule and began to openly dissent.
For instance， when Humphrey led the community to forage in the north， Hugh and Charlie would lead other members to forage in the south. Although the groups would still return to their respective “camps” and unite against external threats at this stage， a gradual separation was inevitable.
Ultimately， around 1973， the conflict became irreconcilable， and the two “factions” evolved into completely separate communities. One community was led by the new alpha male， “Figan，” which included Humphrey. This group consisted of 8 adult males， 12 adult females， and juveniles， and they relocated from their original southern territory to the north. Meanwhile， Hugh and Charlie established their own new community， taking with them 4 males， 3 females， and their offspring， remaining in the southern territory.
When Dr. Jane Goodall observed that the original Kasakela community had completely bifurcated into two， she renamed these groups. The group led by Figan was named “Kahama” (also referred to as the northern sub-group)， and the group led by Hugh and Charlie was named “Caliban” (also referred to as the southern sub-group).
Although the two communities now occupied distinct territories， this was not the end of the story but rather its beginning， as chimpanzees seemingly do not tolerate betrayal. Initially， when the two groups encountered each other， they would engage in displays of aggression but refrained from outright conflict. Some members from both communities even exhibited friendly behavior towards each other， with the elderly former leader Mike being notably amicable.
However， the Caliban community was initially the more dominant group， with Hugh and Charlie described as fearless， while the Kahama chimpanzees displayed apprehension and would avoid them. Around January 1， 1974， Dr. Jane Goodall observed six adult male chimpanzees from the Kahama community gathered together， seemingly “plotting” (only one adult male， “Satan，” was absent).
On January 7， 1974， the first conflict erupted between the two communities. The six males from the Kahama community who had been “plotting，” accompanied by a female named “Gigi，” attacked a sub-adult male “Godie” from the Caliban community， who was foraging in a tree at the time.
During the attack， Godie repeatedly attempted to escape but was recaptured. The attackers repeatedly threw him to the ground and beat him until he was motionless， after which the group erupted in cheers， shouting and throwing tree branches before retreating. Godie managed to stand up after the attackers left and returned to his community， but he died soon after from infection. This was the first documented instance of chimpanzees intentionally attempting to kill their own kind!
The second victim from the Caliban community was an adult male named “De.” His situation was nearly identical to Godie’s; he was attacked by multiple male and female chimpanzees from the Kahama community， including Gigi， and died shortly after returning to his group.
The third victim was an elderly male chimpanzee named “Goliath.” This chimpanzee had previously exhibited friendly behavior towards the Kahama community， but his goodwill was not reciprocated. He suffered the worst fate， with the Kahama chimpanzees even attempting to dismember him.
After Goliath’s death， one of the leaders， Hugh， disappeared. Researchers never found his remains， and Dr. Jane Goodall believes he was also murdered by the Kahama community.
The other leader， Charlie， was the fifth victim (the fourth adult male victim). His death was not directly observed， but fishermen reported hearing sounds of “intense conflict.” Three days later， Charlie’s body was discovered in the Kahama River， bearing “horrific wounds.”
Following Charlie， a disabled adult male chimpanzee named “Willy-Wally” also vanished and was never found. The last remaining male in the Caliban community was the young “Sniff.” He survived for over a year after the deaths of the other five males in his community. During this period， he integrated with other groups， including the Kahama community. However， it appears chimpanzees truly do not tolerate betrayal， as the Kahama community did not accept Sniff and instead brutally killed him. Of the initial three adult females in the Caliban community， one was killed， and two disappeared!
This chimpanzee war lasted for a full four years， until 1978， ending with the complete annihilation of the Caliban community. However， some suggest that the disappearances might not necessarily mean death， and that some individuals may have fled to other groups.
How brutal exactly was this war?
In her memoir， “Through a Window: Thirty Years in the Gombe Forests，” Dr. Jane Goodall described it as follows:
“For years I have struggled to accept this new knowledge.
When I wake up at night， terrifying images often flash through my mind—Satan cupping his hands beneath Sniff’s chin to catch the blood gushing from his wounds and drinking it; the usually gentle old Rodolf rising to hurl a four-pound boulder at Godie’s prone body; Jomiio tearing a strip of skin from De’s thigh; Figan pursuing and beating Goliath’s frail， trembling body again and again， and Goliath， remember， was one of Figan’s childhood heroes…”
In fact， chimpanzee warfare is quite common. A study published in the journal *Science* analyzed 18 chimpanzee communities and documented a total of 152 chimpanzee killings， two-thirds of which were attributed to raids by adversarial groups [1].
Furthermore， the “dark side” of chimpanzees extends beyond brutal wars against their own kind， encompassing other unimaginable behaviors. For instance， they engage in group conspiracies for power. Their courtship rituals towards females are also remarkably violent， involving punching， kicking， biting， and plucking out hair. Males also practice infanticide to encourage females to reproduce again， and females may also kill infants if they do not want other females’ offspring to share resources. As one observer noted， a cry in the African night might well be the sound of a mother chimpanzee losing her infant.
