Rare intra-group warfare observed among wild chimpanzees in Uganda

A Science study reports the first known case of a wild chimpanzee community, the Ngogo group in Kibale National Park, Uganda, splitting into western and central factions by 2018 after decades of cohesion. The ensuing seven-year conflict involved 24 coordinated attacks that killed at least seven adult males and 17 infants. Researchers link the fracture to shifts in social hierarchy (notably an alpha-male change), the deaths of key older individuals, and a 2017 disease outbreak, suggesting that disruptions to social ties could make such in-group violence more likely—an insight with conservation implications for social species.