While males are not afraid of anything, female chimpanzees prefer to stay far away from humans.

People are basically everywhere these days. Also in areas where chimpanzees used to have the empire to themselves. It appears to have a major impact on our closest relatives, as shows new research at. Because female chimpanzees in particular do not like to come into contact with humans, which in turn causes division within chimpanzee populations.

Study

In the study, researchers observed chimpanzees in their natural habitat and as they approached villages and croplands. It leads to a striking discovery. Because the group of chimpanzees that ventured near people was a lot smaller than the number of chimpanzees that the research team counted in the forests. Females in particular were found to stay away from villages and croplands.

Contact

The study is the first to examine how a human-dominated landscape affects the lives of chimpanzees. “Wild animals are being forced to adapt,” said study leader Zoe Satsias. “These chimpanzees encounter humans, domestic dogs and livestock on a daily basis as they forage for food. And that often leads to conflict. Croplands are also an extra risk for chimpanzees, because of the snares and traps that are planted there. In addition, the fields are often located near roads, including a tarmac main road dividing their habitat.”

males vs. females

This particularly deters female chimpanzees. “Males don’t seem to be attracted to the prospect of encountering humans,” said study researcher Matt McLennan. “They are even willing to confront villagers. But females – especially mothers with babies – tend to avoid contact with people. This explains why subgroups outside the forest are smaller.”

sub-groups

As a result, chimpanzees no longer always stay together, but divide themselves into various sub-groups. The researchers then observed the social connections between group members by studying which chimpanzees were more likely to be close to each other. “While males and females were equally central to their social network in the forest, the more at-risk croplands and village areas were dominated exclusively by males,” said researcher Kimberley Hockings. “Our study shows how male and female chimpanzees adapt differently to human encroachment and points to a difference in risk perception between the sexes.”

Effects

This sex difference could have far-reaching implications for chimpanzee survival in rapidly changing habitats. “For example, avoiding certain areas by females could disrupt the spread of information,” Hockings said. “It also reduces social learning opportunities for young chimpanzees. This may suppress the learning of new behaviors that could help them survive.”

The study shows to what extent humans influence our closest relatives and how this affects the social interactions between conspecifics; something we may not think about. The study shows that female chimpanzees, in particular, are not so fond of humans. And that may have far-reaching consequences than previously thought.