Killings and Explanations

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on the killings and demonstration violence of Tai chimpanzee groups, which are consistent with the imbalance of power hypothesis, wherein multiple males encounter and kill a solo outsider. It recounts the 2002–2007 Tai killings and those suspected at Loango that recognizes intergroup killing as a typical aspect of chimpanzee sociality that is not due to increased human encroachment. It also explores the existential threat posed by leopards that fosters intense in-group loyalties among chimpanzees, causing individuals to risk injury to themselves in rescues and the development of xenophobia whereby outsiders are violently ostracized. The chapter talks about the elimination of rivals, sex, and food competition that are related to density and coincide to make chimpanzees attack their neighbors. It demonstrates how chimpanzees take into account the main driving forces for survival and reproduction in making decisions about conflicts.