Agnieszka Wójcińska talks to Magdalena Braum, who works as a primatologist and veterinarian in the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.
Agnieszka Wójcińska: How often do chimpanzees, patriarchal by nature, decide to pass power to the females?
Magdalena Braum: Coalitions of females – physically weaker than males – ruling the troop is not something unheard of
I learned that in Warsaw Zoo, it’s the female chimpanzees who lead the troop rather than the males. That’s an unusual arrangement out there, in nature. “Look at that, a female revolution,” I thought, and it warmed my heart.
Common chimpanzees, unlike matriarchal bonobos, live in strictly patriarchal communities. Yet I was told that in Warsaw Zoo, the females had taken over the troop. I decided I had to see it with my own eyes. That’s how I learned the story of three female chimpanzees who, although related, grew up to have remarkably different personalities and approaches to life. Soon, I met other primates from the Warsaw troop. Right now, there are eight: four girls (Mandy, Lucy, Kimberly and Liza) and four boys (Patryk, Szymon, Zarno and Frodo). And, just like humans, each of them is an individual in their own right.
