Emily Kwong

This is an interview Jane did with Terry Gross on Fresh Air back in 1993.

And what Jane Goodall is referring to here is a four-year conflict that broke out amongst the chimpanzees she was studying in Tanzania.

Chimps that knew each other started killing each other.

It was essentially the primate equivalent of a civil war.

In the largest known community of chimpanzees in the world, and scientists are documenting it in real time with videos like this.

Yeah.

NPR science correspondent Nate Rott.

Hey there.

Oh, he sounds so sad.

I know.

But it's also kind of fascinating to me.

Just as a scientist, sometimes you got to go where the research leads.

And the researchers have been watching this whole thing happen?

Today on the show, a civil war amongst one of humanity's closest living relatives.

I'm Emily Kwong.

All right, Nate, where is this civil war happening?

That is a long time to be studying the same group of chimps.

A tightly knit group.

How many chimpanzees are in this Ngogo group?

It's like a bad, bad rift.