May 12, 2026

“We still have much to learn about their complex behaviour:” A note on the “chimpanzee civil war”

Photo: Bill Wallauer

You may have seen news about the “chimpanzee civil war” that has taken place in Uganda.

The Jane Goodall Institute extends its deepest condolences to the research team at Ngogo, in Kibale National Park, where the split in the chimpanzee community has resulted in the deaths of many members of the central chimpanzee group.

Although the fission and subsequent aggression between the two groups is a deadly chapter in this 30-year study, this is not a new phenomenon — Dr. Jane famously observed chimpanzee warfare herself in the 1970s, with the Kasekela community in Gombe.

Bill Wallauer, the Jane Goodall Institute’s filmmaker and scientific advisor, spoke about the emotional difficulty of witnessing animal warfare: “I knew many of the victims of the recent aggression from my film projects in Ngogo over the past 25 years. You cannot spend time with chimpanzees in the wild and not hold a deep emotional attachment to them.”

“This has no doubt been a difficult time for the whole research team, and a loss to the forest as a whole,” Bill said. “Every chimpanzee’s life is precious and, as this case illustrates, we still have much to learn about their complex behaviour and relationships.”

The photo seen above is of Morton — one of the victims of the Ngogo conflict in Kibale National Park. Bill said: “He was a beautiful and social male chimpanzee, and I loved spending time with him.”

“Morton was very high-ranking within the community, but I didn’t know him to be overly aggressive or mean to his subordinates. He had kind eyes and a pretty face, and he no doubt will be missed by all who knew him.”