Land grabbing – chimp style
“Researchers have discovered that large groups of chimpanzees seem to send out patrols to kill members of rival groups before moving into their terrain. It is the first definitive proof of this kind of land grabs and could provide a evolutionary reason for mankind’s historical empire building.
“During a decade of study, the researchers led by John Mitani at the University of Michigan, witnessed 18 fatal attacks and found signs of three others perpetrated by members of a large community of about 150 chimps at Ngogo, Kibale National Park in Uganda.
“Then in the summer of 2009, the Ngogo chimpanzees began to use the area where two-thirds of these events occurred, expanding their territory by 22 per cent.“
So runs an article in today’s Daily Telegraph. Only, as a guide to human conduct, this kind of evolutionary sociology is discredited. Humans, unlike chimps, understand the concepts of right and wrong. To use chimp behaviour as a justification for humans acting in the same way is just a handy excuse for people who want to act like criminals.