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Like W, I have been adamant that humans are the only species that
kill for sport (or anything else besides just killing to eat).
Last night my husband & I were watching the National Geographic
Channel. A scientist and chimp observer has brought forth the
truth that, in more case studies in the wild, adult male chimps will
band together to seek out and kill another chimpanzee's group as a
rival.
We watched the footage. It was similar to a gang piling up on
a single outcast. Genitals were ripped off, torso ripped open and
a full scale beating-to-death occurred. Leaving the dead chimp
face up, splayed-open ... ugly scene.
I guess Jane Goodall ( the first to observe and record behavior
suggestive of ritual among a group of chimpanzees) either didn't report
the violence in her days of study or she missed it.
The programme said...
"The only other "primates" that kill their own kind are in fact,
us. Humans and chimpanzees show a common aggressive tendency and will
actively seek out and kill members of their own species. Chimpanzees and
humans are the only other species that, out of 4000 other mammal species
and 10 million other non-mammal species, have been observed to hunt and
kill members of a rival group."
Or ...
It has been known for eons that animals will sometimes fight
with each other, but systematic warfare was considered a uniquely human
trait. It is now known that chimpanzees
sometimes engage in long-term aggression with neighboring groups and
will systematically murder each member of the “enemy” group. This is
accomplished by a band of mostly males silently searching for isolated
members of the rival community and killing them. Such campaigns can last
months on end with frequently repeated excursions into the rivals’
territory.
Chimps and gorillas were long considered to be relatively docile
and placid creatures, but today we know that they can be vicious
killers. In gorillas, the killing is usually done by lone males, intent
on displacing a male rival in order to gain access to a harem of
females. And sometimes the loser is not the only one who gets killed. A
victorious male may extend the slaughter to include the loser's infant
offspring.
Chimps can take killing to a more sinister level. Acting in small,
roving gangs, they have been seen making commando-style raids on
neighbouring chimp groups, singling out individuals for slaughter. These
kinds of attacks can go on, intermittently, for years, until all rivals
are killed or evicted. In simple terms, it is nothing less than
systematic genocide.
The more you know ... the less blind you become
:-)
Lori
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