For the first time, wild chimpanzees have been caught on film sharing fermented fruit. The footage comes from Cantanhez National Park in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, where camera traps recorded chimps eating fermented breadfruit together on 10 separate occasions.
Tests of the fruit showed it was, at most, the equivalent of 0.61 percent alcohol by volume — far less potent than even a light beer — but chimps eat fruit in such large quantities, scientists say, that small amounts could begin to add up.
The discovery, detailed in the journal Current Biology, raises the prospect that chimps are actively seeking out alcohol and sharing it, perhaps to strengthen social bonds, much as humans do.
“Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behavior with fermented fruit might be important,” said study coauthor Kimberley Hockings, of the University of Exeter. “If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history.”
Chimpanzees are endangered globally, imperiled by poaching and the loss of forest habitat. This is true in Cantanhez National Park, where the apes are regularly hunted. Scientists working in the park rely on cameras, microphones, and other tools to keep their distance, seeking to maintain a healthy fear of humans in the chimps.
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