Chimpanzees are a lot like us!
Previously, we wrote a story that stated chimpanzees are the world’s most underrated dangerous animal. However, that article does not do chimpanzees justice. Like humans, no two chimpanzees are alike, and while all chimpanzees are capable of extreme violence (as are humans) and should be respected, few of them choose to resort to violence. In fact, as our closest relatives, they are just as inclined to display altruism and compassion as they are to display belligerence and aggression.
When accustomed to humans, chimpanzees can even develop a strong bond with them. Case in point, when famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall released a rehabilitated chimpanzee named Wounda into the wild, Wounda hugged her before disappearing into the forest.
You can watch this touching exchange in the video below.
But, in the wild, chimpanzees’ capacity for altruism and emotion go beyond hugging human scientists.
While chimpanzees are generally not interested in the welfare of unrelated group members (not unlike humans), they have occasionally been known to adopt orphaned young from unrelated groups. They have even shown respect for beauty (such as sunset over a lake), curiosity and respect towards other wildlife (such as pythons), and altruism towards other animals (such as feeding turtles). So you can definitely see where we, as primates ourselves, gained our own compassion and sense of wonder.
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