Chimp Empire

Who are we?

How did we become the way we are?

As humans, we spend our lives

trying to understand ourselves.

But sometimes it feels we're too close to see clearly.

That's why we love stories from other worlds.

And the world of chimpanzees,

so similar to ours in some ways...

...but so different in others...

tells us stories more revealing than you can imagine.

Stories all the more powerful

because they are real.

The Forest of Ngogo is a vast, interconnected world.

And at its heart,

there is a thriving society.

The Ngogo chimpanzees.

For this new mother and her baby,

it's home.

Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives.

We share more than 98% of our DNA.

They are highly intelligent.

And highly emotional.

They can live to over 60 years old,

and the stages of their lives are similar to ours.

Every chimp at Ngogo is an individual...

with their own unique personality

and goals.

To reflect this,

scientists have given each and every one of them a name.

Ngogo society is sophisticated.

It's a complex network of family and social bonds...

where each chimp has to forge relationships

and find their place in the group.

Most chimp groups number 50 or 60 individuals.

But here at Ngogo,

there are twice that number.

Over 120 chimps living together.

The biggest group ever discovered.

Ngogo is a chimpanzee paradise.

There's a huge amount of fruit trees here.

And fruit is the lifeblood of chimpanzee society.

With so many chimps all trying to make their way,

there's a lot of competition.

Life here involves politics and power.

Ngogo society is a hierarchy.

And the chimps are always looking for opportunities

to move up.

At the top of the hierarchy sits the most powerful chimp at Ngogo.

Jackson.

The alpha male.

Jackson has been in charge for six years now.

But he's getting old for an alpha.

If he's going to stay on top,

he can't show any weakness.

He needs to display strength.

This is what Jackson wants.

The group is calling

and coming to him in a show of respect.

But Jackson is well aware

that some chimps are showing less respect than others.

A chimp this age should be too young to pose a real challenge to Jackson.

But not all chimps are as smart

or as confident as Abrams.

But Jackson has protection.

Miles.

A giant chimp.

The biggest ever known at Ngogo.

Jackson and Miles share a tight bond...

and groom each other regularly.

It's a formidable alliance.

Grooming is an important part of life for all chimpanzees.

It's how they create and maintain social relationships.

It's the chimp equivalent of conversation.

It's highly political.

Planning.

Persuading.

Plotting.

Grooming forms alliances.

And alliances create power.

Even the strongest chimps

struggle to dominate alone.

Who your grooming partners are

says a lot about your status and ambitions.

But if you aren't grooming with anyone,

status and ambition are the least of your worries.

Fourteen is not an easy age for a male chimp.

You've grown apart from your mother...

...and you need to start bonding with other males.

That comes more easily to some

than others.

Gus is an outsider.

But he can't stay that way.

He needs to find some friends.

In the Forest of Ngogo,

it's not wise to spend too much time alone.

Christine's baby is about six months old.

For this age, she's much stronger and more developed than a human baby.

But she's still very vulnerable.

At Ngogo, not all babies make it to their first birthday.

And for that reason,

she won't be given her name until then.

Christine has to focus on the baby,

and that has left her older daughter, Nadine,

out in the cold.

She used to get her mother's full attention.

Now she's neglected.

Even for a chimp, the baby is developing quickly.

And she's starting to become more independent.

She wants to socialize.

When it comes to babies, most chimps are pretty tolerant.

Still, it's safer to start with someone closer to your own size.

The problem is that young chimps are far less forgiving.

The more independent the baby becomes,

the more she can get into trouble.

Big males are a threat.

If she gets in their way, she could be badly hurt.

And with an alpha like Jackson,

who can choose to display anywhere, anytime...

Christine can never completely relax.

It's all a bit overwhelming.

Her mother has seen all this before.

She isn't concerned.

But her big sister is.

The first signs of a bond between sisters.

Ngogo is a rainforest.

Storms are part of life here.