Altruistic Chimpanzees Adopt Orphans

"Chimpanzees can be altruistic just like humans, according to a new study that found 18 cases of orphaned chimps being adopted in the wild.

The kind-hearted chimp parents were discovered in the Taï forest in the West African country Ivory Coast. The adoptive caregivers, both male and female, devoted large amounts of time and effort to protecting their young charges, without any obvious gain to themselves.

"I don't know of any other cases of unrelated orphans being adopted," said research leader Christophe Boesch of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. He said the young chimps had lost their genetic parents to predation, injury and other causes.

Until now, some scientists have thought that altruism, or engaging in a costly behavior to aid another without any benefit to oneself, was strictly a human trait. In studies of captive chimpanzees — humans' closest living relatives — instances of selfless giving are rare.

"Based on some of the captive studies, you see very strong claims that what makes humans special is this ability to cooperate and be altruistic toward one another," Boesch told LiveScience. "In that sense the observation of Taï forest requires a big shift in our thinking about what makes us human, in the sense that this ability to be altruistic is something that we also see in chimpanzees."

The finding does tie in to other research of chimps in the wild that found the animals often share food, even meat, which is a very valuable resource. While some experts have argued that this was proof of chimpanzee altruism, others countered that sharing food could be more of a tit-for-tat behavior, and that there's no way to prove the receiving chimps don't reciprocate later on.

But adoption seems like a stronger case for philanthropy, since the adoptive chimpanzee parents don't seem to reap any immediate reward, and could likely survive on their own much easier without a youngling to care for, the researchers say.

"Some adoptions of orphans by unrelated adults lasted for years and imply extensive care towards the orphans," Boesch said. "This includes being permanently associated with the orphan, waiting for it during travel, providing protection in conflicts and sharing food with the orphan."


http://www.livescience.com/animals/chimpanzee-adoption-altruism-100126.html