Buzz
We’ve all watched at least one of those nine Planet of the Apes films, where apes rise to power, overthrowing humanity and enslaving us in the process. Could this scenario come to life in reality?
This wouldn’t be the first instance where science fiction has foreshadowed actual events unfolding in the real world. After the past couple of years, it’s difficult to dismiss anything as impossible as we move into the future. So, let’s take a moment to consider the potential outcomes...
10. Apes Are Incredibly Intelligent!
“The proper study of apes is apes.” —Dr. Honorious (Planet of the Apes)
Intelligence can be assessed in numerous ways. Human intellect is made up of many different factors, most of which surpass those of an ape. However, research has shown that chimpanzees, in particular, excel in several areas.
In the year 2000, a sharp-witted chimp named Ayumu was born at Kyoto University in Japan. His mother, Ai, had been taught to recognize and count to nine using Arabic numerals. Along with two other mother-infant pairs, they participated in a computer-based memorization game. After viewing numbers 1 through 9 that appeared randomly on the screen, they had to select them in order, with the digits changing to white squares after the first touch. They performed impressively, earning peanuts as rewards, with Ayumu clearly coming out on top. But when pitted against human players, the results were nothing short of extraordinary!
In a 2007 study led by primatologist Tetsuro Matsuzawa, several college students were trained to play the same game, practicing before facing off with the chimps. The chimps were significantly faster and more accurate. Ayumu remained the champion, reviewing the numbers in as little as two-tenths of a second before starting the game, achieving an 80% success rate compared to the students’ average of just 40%. While not all the other chimps performed as well as Ayumu, they all outperformed the students, demonstrating that chimpanzees possess a superior ability to utilize short-term memory through mental snapshots.
In another study at Kyoto University, pairs of chimps and student volunteers competed in simple strategy games that relied on predicting the opponent’s choices. In game theory, there is a concept known as the Nash equilibrium, and the chimps’ teams came much closer to achieving this balance than the human teams. Researchers believe that this non-verbal understanding compensates for their lack of verbal language, a skill humans have developed.
Researchers also highlight that chimpanzees outperform humans in certain mental tasks because these abilities are vital for survival. Unfortunately, one of the survival activities that chimps often engage in is fighting with each other!
9. Chimps Are Known to Wage War Against Each Other
“Ape not kill ape.” —Koba (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
At the age of 26, Jane Goodall entered the world of chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park, which is now located in Tanzania. She was astounded to find that they could create and use tools made from grass and twigs. She was even more shocked to learn that they systematically hunted, killed, and ate smaller primates like the colobus monkey. This discovery went against the widely accepted belief at the time that chimps were peaceful herbivores.
However, Goodall’s shock deepened in 1974 when a true war broke out between two chimpanzee groups at Gombe. The conflict began when six males from one group ambushed and killed a rival male. Goodall then witnessed the ‘warriors’ celebrating their success by tossing tree branches in excitement. The war lasted four years, and as the groups shifted territories, the violence spread to surrounding chimp communities. The hostilities were marked by brutality, murder, and kidnapping, with Goodall haunted by disturbing images like one chimp drinking blood from another’s wound and a previously gentle elder throwing rocks at a fallen chimp.
The reality is that male chimpanzees often engage in organized, ruthless warfare. In 1975, Goodall even observed a dominant female committing cannibalistic infanticide. It is common for adult male chimps to patrol their territories in groups of up to 50, frequently invading neighboring communities and killing any male they encounter. Their military campaigns are alarmingly similar to the horrific atrocities humans commit in war, including rape, torture, and genocide!
Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor, and the brutal instincts of this ancient creature must have played a significant role in its survival, continuing to persist within both species to this day, often in shocking ways.
8. Chimps Waging War on Gorillas
“Ape has never killed ape, let alone an ape child.” —Virgil (Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
While it's been well-documented that chimpanzees don’t always get along with their neighbors, they’ve mainly been known for their aggression towards their own species. However, at Loango National Park in Gabon, they have started attacking gorillas.
Historically, the two species of apes have coexisted peacefully in the wild, even when their food sources overlapped. However, since 2019, a group of 27 chimps has attacked smaller groups of western lowland gorillas on two occasions. The male gorillas fought valiantly but were overpowered, with both attacks resulting in the death of an infant—one of which was eaten by the chimps. The fact that one of the gorilla infants was consumed led to the possibility that the chimps mistook it for a small monkey, a regular part of their diet, although other explanations seem more likely.
Global warming is severely affecting the rainforests of Gabon, and fruit is becoming increasingly scarce, resulting in heightened competition among the creatures that rely on it. The fact that both attacks occurred during a season when fruit is typically harder to find, and that they coincided with the male chimps' border patrols, points to these events as yet another manifestation of the ongoing turf war between ape groups defending their territory. What makes these attacks unique is that chimpanzees have never before fought with gorillas. This is a new and unprecedented conflict!
As the years go by, the competition among rival ape communities and species in the African rainforests is only going to intensify, especially as the fruit they share with other animals like elephants becomes more scarce. Only time will reveal whether the chimpanzees, deprived of their usual food sources, will increasingly adopt a carnivorous, and even cannibalistic, diet…
7. Chimps Waging War Against Man
“The only good human is a dead human!” —General Ursus (Beneath the Planet of the Apes)
In western Uganda, the chimpanzees are increasingly coming into conflict with humans due to habitat loss caused by deforestation. These apes tend to target the most vulnerable victims—the children. In 2014, in the village of Kyamajaka, an adult chimpanzee jumped over a fence into a family's garden and abducted a two-year-old child. Although villagers chased after them, they arrived too late to save the boy, as the chimp had already torn off one of his arms and removed his kidneys. The child tragically passed away on the way to the hospital.
This ongoing chimpanzee campaign targets crops that have encroached upon their habitat, and the human keepers of these crops are increasingly being attacked. This region of Uganda has a long history of chimpanzee attacks on children, with some even being partially eaten by a rogue male in the 1990s. Since the 2014 attack, three more children have been killed, and several others injured. As agriculture continues to replace the once-lush rainforest in western Uganda, it's likely these attacks will continue. Ironically, it's illegal to shoot a chimpanzee in Uganda, though many locals are ready to defend themselves if needed.
In 2014, over in the Congo, a group of chimps attacked three young children while they were playing near a nature preserve. Two of the children were killed, and the third, a six-year-old boy, survived but suffered severe disfigurement as much of his lower face was torn off. He was flown to New York in 2016 for reconstructive surgery to help him eat and talk, but he was left with lasting scars. Sadly, as in Uganda, the Congo sees many similar attacks as chimpanzee territories shrink and their food sources diminish.
6. Don’t Pick a Fight with a Chimp
“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”—Taylor (Planet of the Apes)
Chimpanzees are our closest primate relatives, sharing 98.8% of our DNA. And that remaining 1.2% likely contains a wealth of aggression, because when an adult chimp gets angry, it's ferocious! A large male can weigh up to 68 kilograms (150 pounds) and stand over 1.6 meters (five feet) tall. These chimps are about 1.5 times stronger than the average human.
With their sharp canine teeth and claw-like nails on what are essentially four hands, chimpanzees are formidable opponents, capable of tearing off body parts with ease. To say they fight viciously would be an understatement—chimps have been known to rip faces, scalps, hands, and even male genitals off their adversaries. When they go into a frenzy, they’re so brutal that only a bullet can stop them. No man stands a chance in hand-to-hand combat against an adult male chimp, and experts advise that if you ever find yourself in such a situation, your best bet is to jump into water, as chimps are terrible swimmers.
You’d have a better chance at angering a male gorilla, which can weigh up to 182 kilograms (400 pounds) and possess the strength of multiple men. Fortunately, gorillas are peaceful by nature and rarely attack humans unless they feel threatened. If one does charge, the best response is to crouch, remain calm, and avoid eye contact. Showing you’re no threat will likely defuse the situation, as gorillas tend to bluff when attacking, being more defensive than aggressive.
Orangutans are much more docile, and human attacks are incredibly rare. However, should you find yourself annoying one in the Borneo rainforest, it might respond by playfully planting a kiss in a handful of leaves, pushing over a dead tree in your direction, and running off. Male bonobos, who live south of the Congo River, are also less aggressive than their chimpanzee cousins. In fact, during territory disputes, they don’t kill one another, often turning aggressive encounters into sexual exchanges. This behavior might be a good reason to avoid trespassing on their land.
If humans ever found themselves at war with apes, the chimpanzees would undoubtedly be the front-line warriors.
5. The Dark Nature of the Beast
“They’re hideous creatures.” —Albina (female mutant, Beneath the Planet of the Apes)
Despite their intelligence, social nature, and playful demeanor, chimpanzees hold a dark side—turning into ruthless killing machines without hesitation. In their communities, alpha males and older individuals hold significant influence, giving orders and imparting wisdom to the younger males. But when their popularity wanes, they risk being rejected, beaten, and even violently killed. One of Jane Goodall's most haunting memories from the Gombe Chimpanzee War involved Figan, a younger male who savagely beat Goliath, an elderly former alpha male he had once respected.
In 2013, at the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project in Senegal, Foudouko, a former alpha male, was brutally murdered by the very males he had once led. After being exiled from the community for years, he returned seeking companionship but received a cold reception. One morning, the Project team was woken by loud chimpanzee cries and discovered that Foudouko had been savagely beaten, killed, and even cannibalized, particularly by an older female who had a disturbing appetite for his flesh.
Those who once kept chimps as pets will warn you against it. Initially, these creatures are charming, playful companions, even appearing on TV and in movies as mischievous little characters that outwit their human counterparts. But as they grow, their hormones drive violent outbursts, leading many to be confined. A notorious case occurred in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2009, when a 200-pound, 13-year-old chimp named Travis attacked a friend of its owner, brutally maiming her face, jaw, and hands. The police were forced to shoot Travis, who had turned on them as well. Though the victim survived, she received a face transplant, but her hand transplants failed, leaving her blind. Unfortunately, such incidents are not rare.
Infanticide is a grim reality in some chimpanzee communities. Males sometimes kill unrelated newborns to force the mothers back into their reproductive cycles sooner, allowing the males a chance to father their own offspring. This may explain why females about to give birth tend to disappear for weeks or months before returning to the group.
While gorillas do display violence, it is not nearly as prevalent as it is in chimpanzee communities. When it comes to committing social atrocities, chimpanzees are in a league of their own. These creatures, endowed with high intelligence, compassion, and reasoning, are still capable of committing the most horrific, sinister acts imaginable against their own kind. Their misdeeds even surpass those of the depraved and uncontrollable naked ape, known as man.
4. The Gift of Gab
“What the hell would I have to say to a gorilla?” —Brent (Beneath the Planet of the Apes)
As far back as the 1930s, primatologists tried teaching lab apes sign language or symbolic languages, drawing considerable attention from the media in the '70s and '80s. However, modern linguists look back at these studies and remain unimpressed. The researchers behind these projects claimed major breakthroughs in language development, but critics argue that the apes were simply mimicking actions for rewards. They contend that the apes’ limited success at associating symbols with words doesn’t indicate a true grasp of grammar, sentence structure, or syntax. In a similar vein, while chimps can learn to count up to 9 and recognize Arabic numerals, this doesn't mean you would want them handling your tax returns.
There was Koko, the remarkable gorilla who could sign about 200 words, and Kanzi, the sharp-witted bonobo who picked up a symbolic language by watching his mother’s training as a baby. Despite their impressive abilities, neither of them reached beyond the language skills of a human toddler. Then there was Nim Chimsky, a chimp named ironically after cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky, who would later publicly challenge the study of primate communication. Nim turned out to be something of a con artist, learning that if he signed random words, especially the word 'banana,' researchers would assume he was asking for one and reward him. While clever, this didn’t make him a linguist. As he matured, Nim became more temperamental, sometimes injuring his caretakers. Eventually, he was sent to a ranch in Texas, where he greeted the new environment by killing the house poodle.
Apes communicate with one another in a variety of ways, far beyond relying on spoken or written language. They 'speak' using sensory signals—an ancient, primal form of communication that humans, for the most part, have lost. They utilize visual signals, like gestures, body postures, and facial expressions, to warn others of aggression. Interestingly, marmosets and tamarins, New World monkeys native to South America, who have limited facial expressions, prefer to turn around and present their backsides. Apes also rely on scent (or B.O.) to mark their presence. Shared grooming is another form of calming interaction among them. While orangutans and gorillas are relatively quiet and peaceful, angry chimpanzees are known for hooting, screeching, and grunting loudly to express their readiness to fight.
A key distinction that the researchers of the '70s overlooked is that humans, unlike apes, preserve written records of their past and speculate about the future. Apes, on the other hand, are entirely present-focused, with no need for personal memoirs or future aspirations. Despite this, apes communicate quite effectively with each other in the now. If a war were ever to break out between humans and apes, it might be more beneficial for us to learn how THEY communicate, understand their intentions, and plans, rather than attempting to teach them how to interpret our conversations.
3. Are We Creating the Forbidden Zone?
“The Forbidden Zone was once a paradise. Your breed made a desert of it…ages ago.”—Dr. Zaius (Planet of the Apes)
According to climate scientists, 2021 was the hottest year since 2015, even with La Niña bringing colder waters to the Pacific. Extreme weather events are increasing across the globe. Contrary to popular belief, the rise in volatile temperatures and severe storms worldwide cannot be explained without considering human activity. Deforestation is on the rise as well, with the Amazon experiencing a 33% increase in deforestation between January and October of 2021, which equates to a staggering 2.4 million acres of rainforest being destroyed. Meanwhile, in Africa, a shocking 65% of fertile land has been degraded, much of it transformed from arable land to desert.
Despite the global efforts aimed at curbing deforestation, the destruction continues to grow year after year, and the general agreement is that time is running out. As global warming escalates and species from distant regions begin to vie for the same spaces, the likelihood of future pandemics increases. The tragic irony is that as economic recovery plans for COVID-19, and potentially for future diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and cholera, pour investments into fossil fuel industries, we exacerbate global warming and increase the likelihood of more pandemics. At this point, the two environmental crises are starting to feed off one another, and the outcome of this global conflict looks grim.
Could this be the tipping point that sparks an alliance of apes, particularly chimpanzees, to rise up against the human populations invading their territories? We've already seen signs of this happening at the edges of wildlife reserves, where expanding farmland meets the ever-shrinking rainforests. Will large groups of enraged apes form organized armies that attack not just isolated individuals, but entire plantations or even cities?
Is it conceivable that one revolutionary ape could eventually learn to craft weapons from stone—primitive tools that, while simple, are still capable of inflicting harm and death? And once this skill is learned, will it spread to others, eventually creating a network of apes with the ability to manufacture and wield these weapons? When we are forced to defend ourselves, will our firearms and ammunition keep us safe, or will they fall into the hands of our ape adversaries, who will learn how to use them, master them, and distribute them to their entire battalion—a force of apes fighting back to reclaim their land and the lush orchards lost to us forever?
Only time, which is rapidly running out, will reveal the answer.
2. A Simian God?
"Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil’s pawn. Alone among God’s primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed."—The Lawgiver (Planet of the Apes)
Do apes have beliefs in God? Should we assume that humans are the only creatures on Earth with a sense of spirituality? Until recently, this had been the prevailing belief among both religious and secular communities, and it’s perhaps the key divide between humanity and the rest of the animal kingdom. However, recent observations have shown chimpanzees engaging in ritualistic behaviors that suggest a primitive form of religion. And where rituals exist, there’s often a belief in a god, creator, or prophet—someone watching from above.
In recent years, African chimpanzees have been observed constructing stone temples and performing ceremonial dances during rainstorms that seem to serve no other purpose than to perhaps appease the gods. These actions bear a striking resemblance to the rituals practiced by ancient human societies during spiritual ceremonies, where we sought answers to the chaotic nature of the world. The origins of formalized religion in early humans can be traced back to these rituals, and there's no reason to view the similar behaviors exhibited by chimps any differently.
So, what’s the big deal? Throughout history, more wars have been fought over the supposed will of God than for any other reason, with many so-called holy wars like the Crusades, the Seven Years' War, and the Buddhist Uprising, among others. Even modern-day terrorist acts are often motivated by divine inspiration. If chimpanzees continue their own spiritual journey, just as humans did tens of thousands of years ago, the last thing we might want them to start ritualizing is a war dance inspired by a Lawgiver—against us.
1. Chimps Entering the Stone Age
"It was at this level I discovered cutting tools and arrowheads of quartz…"—Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)
There's ongoing debate within the scientific community about whether chimpanzees have entered the Stone Age. While they commonly use rocks to crack open nuts and, as noted earlier, throw them at perceived threats, there's additional evidence supporting the notion. Archaeologists in the Ivory Coast have unearthed stone hammers that fit the hands of chimpanzees and show traces of nut residue, not from humans. These tools were discovered in areas that predate human settlement by 2,000 years, implying that such practices might have been passed down through generations of chimps for centuries. This intriguing find has prompted archaeologists to reconsider the origins of stone tools, traditionally credited to early human ancestors in other parts of Africa.
However, not all primatologists are convinced that chimps have reached the Stone Age. A team of international researchers studied eleven chimps living in a zoo in Norway and a sanctuary in Zambia. Despite having access to stone cores and hammers and the motivation to use them, the chimps were unable to make sharp tools independently. Even though they had previously succeeded in crafting tools by observing humans, these chimps couldn’t replicate the process on their own. Their inability to create functional tools, other than merely picking up rocks to smash things, led researchers to conclude that chimps have not yet entered their own version of the Stone Age.
If we ever find ourselves in a conflict with apes, we shouldn’t take solace in the idea that chimps struggle to craft arrowheads or spears on their own. Instead, we should recall with some trepidation the story of Caesar…
