The coup at the court of King David
The alpha male in a troop of chimpanzees must never drop his guard. If he does, as we see in one of the most intense stories, the resulting plots and back-stabbing could prove fatal...
‘IF HE WAS DEFEATED, HE FACED EXILE OR DEATH’ ‘DAVID WAS SOLITARY A LOT, ALMOST MEDITATING’
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. When William Shakespeare wrote that, he was talking about medieval kings, not West Africa’s chimpanzees – but then the Bard never met David, king of the Senegal apes.
When the camera crew arrived for their 26-month filming stint, David was the alpha male of his troop. He had complete dominance over the other 30 chimps, which gave him first access to the three most important elements in a male ape’s life: food, water and females. But his power was constantly threatened by the other males. They all wanted to be boss. And if they brought him down, David could suffer exile or death. The stakes were high.
David had ousted the previous leader with the help of his brother Mamadou three years previously. They made an unstoppable team, thanks in large part to the support of their mother – an ape with only one eye. But she stepped back from the fray to have a new baby and then Mamadou disappeared, never to be seen again. That left David vulnerable, as his rivals – experienced Jumkin and sly Luthor – coveted his position. The challenge for David was to stay as alpha male long enough to ensure that his dynastic line would continue down the generations by siring a future leader of the group.
The alpha male is not necessarily the strongest, however. Intelligence plays a vital part. David would use aggressive body language to induce submission from the others, but he would be making alliances too.
Like humans, some chimps are smarter than others. Lex, a brawny youngster, was definitely not one of the chimp world’s intellectuals. The northern border of the troop’s territory – which at 90 square kilometres is about three times larger than usual because of the relative scarcity of food and water – is marked by the banks of the Gambia River, where sounds echo off the far bank several hundred yards away. When the chimps went to the river, Lex got agitated by the echo – convinced there was another family of apes on the far bank. He started shouting back... and had a screaming match with his own echo.
At the start of the dry season, David faced more problems than just an echo. Food and water were getting scarce and tensions between males increasing. When the females started coming into heat the tension mounted as the males grew more aggressive. ‘David was feeling the pressure,’ says cameraman Mark MacEwen. ‘He had a subtle tell-tale indicator that he was becoming stressed: flicking his toes. When he did that, I’d often see Luthor sizing him up and picking those moments to rush through the group and throw large boulders around. David would frequently respond to this by standing up on two legs, shaking large trees and throwing boulders himself.’
But it was the older, less show-offish Jumkin who posed the greatest threat. He was strong, wily and biding his time, waiting to stage his coup.
Chimps groom themselves regularly to keep their fur free from parasites, and David used this social tradition to build an alliance with another older male, called KL. Combing through his ally’s fur was a clear overture of friendship, an invitation to take Mamadou’s place now his brother was gone.
KL had more to gain than a makeover. Being David’s loyal supporter meant access to the females, and the chance to mate. David’s friendship had special significance because the king of the apes was a solitary animal who generally preferred his own company. ‘He needed time alone to decompress from the pressures of life,’ observes cameraman John Brown. ‘We’d often find him alone, fishing for termites. It seemed almost a meditative behaviour. He seemed to get almost as much nourishment out of the solitude as he did from the termites themselves.’
The crisis point came when three of the troop’s adult females came into season at the same time. When females become sexually active they always leave their troop and join another to mate. But because David’s troop was so isolated on the far western edge of the species range, it was very hard for females from other groups to find and join them. This led to a significant imbalance, with 12 males to just seven females – the exact opposite of the usual ratio. When three females came into season simultaneously, frustrations among the males became frenzied and David and KL were seriously outnumbered. Darkness fell and the males turned on David, beating and biting him mercilessly. Given his strength and authority, joining forces was the only way they could overcome him. Then they retreated, leaving him for dead.
David was left with serious injuries: a missing thumb, a gash on his leg and lacerations on his rear end, arms and head. That day, however, the advantages of being the alpha male emerged. David’s females tended his wounds, licking and cleaning them to enable them to heal more quickly. This was a remarkable display of tenderness, as they expertly worked on his injuries. It was also a touching display of loyalty.
David had to lie low. With his injuries, even if he could keep up with the rest of the group, he knew his weakness would be fatal. When they saw him, they would attack and kill him. So he stayed behind, totally alone. Mark MacEwen was convinced that David’s dominance over the group was finally over. ‘I genuinely didn’t know if he’d survive his injuries, they were so severe, and he looked like he’d given up when the group left him behind.’
Now Luthor moved to climb up the ranks, and perhaps even become the alpha male. He intimidated his rival males with a show of force. With David around, this would have been controlled. But Luthor terrorised the whole group – females and infants, too – with his violent, unpredictable behaviour.
Several days after the attack that left him so badly hurt, David headed back to the group. The moment of his meeting with Luthor was crucial.
He had to look as if he was back to full health, even though his wounds were still healing. This was an all-ornothing encounter. David terrified Luthor into submission by his sheer force of personality. As chimps do to assert dominance, he made himself look bigger by raising the hair on his body, and standing up on his hind legs. Cowed, Luthor had no choice but to fall back in line.
In constant pain and far weaker than he used to be, David had to put on a show until the rains arrived. Wet weather would mean more food, which would help him to recover fully. Until then, he spent as much time as possible away from the main group so they wouldn’t see how badly hurt he was.
Then came the acid test. Another female came into season. Had he done enough to reassert his dominance and earn the right to mate with her? He had – and he did. Nine months after their mating, David was confirmed once more as King of the Apes and head of his dynasty. A male baby was born – David’s son and possible heir.