to his alliance partner Vernon (VN), in the trees, feeding on the cadaver of a young chimpanzee. At
9.12 VN began feeding on the carcass which DN had discarded. By 9.15 both males had finished
feeding. Other than the head and a few bones, the infant was eaten in its entirety.The head was recovered intact and preserved in formalin at camp (where it still is)
(see Fig. 7.2).
Observed by Newton-Fisher on 25 September 1995:
It became clear by 13.53 that Black (BK) had discovered a female chimpanzee, and he began to
display...[the alpha male DN moved towards the female]. Both the Sonso females and the
unknown female were screaming. [Other males moved towards her.] It became clear that the
female was clasping a small infant to her chest. In response to DN’s charges the female huddled
and turned away, shielding the infant from attempted grabs. She also presented to DN, inviting
copulation, despite showing no sign of anogenital swelling. DN ignored the invitation. In the
following 5 minutes, DN, VN, and the adult males Chris (CH) and Maani (MA), all showing
piloerection, made repeated attempts to snatch the infant, and the female continued to scream,
shielding the infant with her body...At 14.06 DN seized the infant and leapt away through the
branches...Before beginning to feed at 14.08, DN killed the infant with a bite to the head.
[He continued to eat the infant until 14.43 when he passed the cadaver to Kewaya (KY), a young
adult female in estrus. She fed on it for a further 3 minutes before dropping it.] One and a half legs,
one arm, and some of the intestines had been eaten. The infant was a very young male. Body length
was approximately 10 inches (25 cm) (Newton-Fisher 1999c).148 Infanticide
Fig. 7.2: Head of infant killed on 2 February 1995 soon after it was recovered (photo: V.R.).