Researchers were shocked to find the reason for changes in mating behavior in chimpanzees: “It was rarely proven before”

Newest research by chimpanzees in Taï National Park in Ivoire, West Africa, shows that chimpanzees are losing their tradition of male mating gestures. This is consistent with the decline in chimpanzee populations due to human activity, according to a Phys.org article. Even if the population size returns to healthier countries, traditional chimpanzee social and cultural behavior may never be restored.

What happened?

Like other wildlife, including koalas and polar bears, chimpanzees are also threatened by habitat loss. Human activities, such as logging, mining and deforestation in agriculture, destroy chimpanzees’ habitat. As a result, chimpanzees are forced into small areas of forests, where they are more likely to poach (as reported by the International Animal Welfare Fund, which is saved as exotic pets or used as bushes).

They are also forced to resort to alternative food sources, such as bat guano, which may increase the risk of infectious diseases and reduce the population.

Male chimpanzees use specific mating request gestures, such as “knuckle knocking” or “heel,” to signal female chimpanzees that they are ready for reproductive activities.

According to recent chimpanzees research, chimpanzees in the Northern Group widely used “knuckle knocks” before 2004. But male chimpanzees in the Northern Group have not used the “knuckle knock” gesture for more than 20 years.

This may be due to the loss of role models for male chimpanzees who would otherwise continue to perform the traditional mating request pose. The study found that in 2008, the last adult male chimpanzee in the north was killed by a poacher, erasing any male role model to teach the younger generation of local groups traditionally.

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When studying the development of communication gestures within and between neighboring groups, the study authors found that differences in mating gestures and signals indicated that “there are sociological dialects among chimpanzees, which is evidence that has been rarely demonstrated before.”

Why did the chimpanzee population decline?

According to David Shepherd’s David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, chimpanzees are classified as endangered under the intentional conservation alliance. A decline in chimpanzee populations could mean the risk of losing these species forever, undermining the balance of local ecosystems and potentially leading to further species extinction.

Recent studies have also shown that even if the decline is temporary, the impact of population inclination on the population may be durable. For example, although the numbers of male chimpanzees in the north “return to the level at the last observed gesture”, the gesture has not returned yet. The behavior of the entire group was lost.

What measures are being taken to protect chimpanzees?

Conservation groups like the World Wildlife Foundation are working to create protected areas in areas where chimpanzees naturally roam and live in Africa. Advocates also train government stakeholders and training law enforcement personnel to undermine the poaching trade of chimpanzees, according to the Pan-Africa Asylum Coalition.

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