During the last weeks there have been some interesting movements within the ranks of the M-Community. Primus, who has been the Alpha male since 2012, had to defend his position as leader against some of the younger males.
By the end of December our guests together with our guide Mwiga witnessed Christmas moving up the ranks, pushing Orion down and securing his position as the second male in the group. Soon after that, Christmas convinced four other males to challenge Primus, not being successful as Fanana decided in the last moment to change sides and be loyal to Primus. We were surprised by Christmas' ambition, shortly after having taken Orion's position aiming to become the Alpha male.
And it is not only Christmas reaching out to take over from Primus. Teddy, at the age of only 17, is gaining strength and has become very popular within the M-Community. He is very smart and especially the females do like him (he is also known as “the handsome chimp”). Our guides, who spent a lot of time with the chimps and know them so well, are definitely considering Teddy a candidate for becoming the next Alpha Male, despite his young age.
Only a few days ago, our guests witnessed Teddy and Darwin attacking Primus and beating him up seriously. Primus managed to escape without losing his position, however during the last days haven’t been seen with the group, probably to recover from the assault. He knows that if he has a weak moment, the other males will sense the opportunity and he would be in serious danger of being pushed down from his throne. Also during the last days, Teddy has been seen walking with a large group of chimps, acting as their leader. Does this mean he is close to take over from Primus? And what about Christams, will he be satisfied being number two or is he still aiming at the position as Alpha male? Exciting times in Mahale, we are eager to know how the story will continue...