KAMPALA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 24 chimpanzees have died over the past decade in Uganda's Kibale National Park, in what experts describe as human-like social conflicts within one of the world's most closely studied primate communities.
According to the Uganda Tourism Board, the Ngogo chimpanzee community in Kibale National Park, with about 200 individuals, had remained relatively stable for more than 20 years before signs of internal strife began to emerge.
In a post on X, the tourism body said the deaths included 17 infants and seven adult males. The pattern of violence is largely linked to territorial tensions and shifting group dynamics, mirroring conflict behaviors observed in early human societies.
However, Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson Bashir Hangi clarified that there is no ongoing "chimpanzee war" in the park, and that the situation is instead a rare and gradual social split within the Ngogo community.
"There is no ongoing chimpanzee war in Kibale National Park," Hangi said in a short message to Xinhua on Monday. "What has been reported comes from the Ngogo chimpanzee community, a long-term research group studied for over 30 years."
Hangi said researchers attribute the developments to a combination of factors, including population pressure, shifting alliances, and the loss of key individuals, though no single definitive cause has been identified.
"This is high-level scientific research from one of the world's leading primate study sites, offering insight, not alarm," he said.
Located in western Uganda, Kibale National Park is home to about 1,500 chimpanzees, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. ■