“Among the Wild Chimpanzees” is a 1965 documentary that chronicled the daily lives of the human’s closest primate relative – the chimpanzee. The film offered a rare look into the unique ecosystem of Tanzania and the social tensions of the highly intelligent animals. The documentary was made possible due to the curious mind and diligence of Jane Goodall, who is now one of the world’s most famous zoologists.
At the age of 26, the Englishwoman set on a journey to West Africa and made some of the most compelling discoveries about the chimpanzees. At first glance, “Among the Wild Chimpanzees” depicts the animals in their natural habitat: the way they live, communicate, fight for resources, and reconcile. However, beyond the surface, the documentary offers an insight into social dynamics and even explains the origins of human nature. This essay ties the phenomena shown in the movie with the concepts discussed by Larsen and argues that chimpanzees have much more in common with humans than one might expect.
Before Goodall’s discoveries, it was commonly believed that only humans are capable of partaking in selfless behavior. The English researcher debunked that myth by showing in her film that chimpanzees have a basic understanding of altruism just like humans do. Altruism can be defined as a concern for the needs of others without pursuing one’s own interests (Larsen, 2017). An altruistic person helps others without seeking anything in return, which, however, can still prove to yield benefits in the long run. In “Among the Wild Chimpanzees,” the primates are seen giving up food for each other in selfless social acts. Those who behave altruistically are later rewarded by the community. This tendency shows a deep psychological dimension in the decision-making of chimpanzees, which brings them closer to humans.
Another curious discovery that Goodall has made in Tanzania, and that proved the natural intelligence of chimpanzees, is their use of tools. Like many other animals, chimpanzees habituate themselves to the ecosystem of which they are part. Larsen (2017) defines habituating as an act of accustoming oneself to the living conditions, or, in other words, adapting to the realities of life. At one point, “Among the Wild Chimpanzees” show the main “characters” building nests by bending tree branches. Further on, Goodall demonstrates a more impressive example. After the rain, chimpanzees drink water from small puddles, but doing it with their hands is suboptimal. Some of them use tree leaves and sponges to waste less water in the process.
However, chimpanzees use tools not only to meet their daily needs but also to protect their resources and territory. The narrator in the documentary states that in Tanzania, baboons outnumber chimpanzees in almost a four to one proportion. Baboons and chimpanzees have a lot of overlap in eating preferences, which pushes the latter to guard their resources. In the movie, a young chimpanzee is seen aggressively swinging a tree branch at a baboon and chasing him away from the food. What is interesting, the animals came up with these methods independently: no one taught them or showed them how to do it. This example demonstrated the similarity between humans and chimpanzees in using tools to boost their efficiency.
Speaking of violence, one of the most disturbing discoveries that Goodall has made was the ubiquity of violence in chimpanzee communities. Previously, chimpanzees were considered to be peaceful species; however, the zoologist showed that those animals were capable of infanticide, the killing of the young (Larsen, 2017). “Among the Wild Chimpanzees” demonstrates how cautious new mothers have to be with exposing their babies to the community.
For instance, Fefe was engrossed in Manda’s baby and followed her around to touch him, but the mother kept fencing her off. At one point, one female chimpanzee lost her child, and from the movie, it appears that her older son might have taken him away from her. Apparently, infanticide serves two disjoint purposes: for males, killing a child means having a chance to mate with the mother. Hence, it is safe to say that this violent act may be part of the sexual selection strategy. Female infanticide cases, though extremely rare, are often perpetrated by other mothers who might be fighting for resources within the community. These examples have shown that violence was not a coincidence: it was purposeful and calculated.
The 1965 documentary “Among the Wild Chimpanzees” was revolutionary for its time. Before Goodall made her legendary trip to Tanzania, the psychology and life habits of chimpanzees, the human’s closest relatives, were a mystery.
The zoologist has demonstrated that chimpanzees had a lot in common with humans: for instance, they were capable of altruism. Moreover, altruistic behavior was rewarded by the community, showing the depth of the decision-making in chimpanzees. Another interesting capability of chimpanzees was making tools and using them for multiple purposes. Lastly, probably the most surprising and, at the same time, disturbing discoveries was that chimpanzees were capable of intentional violence.
Reference
Larsen, C.S. (2017). Our origins: Discovering physical anthropology. W W NORTON & Company.