Recently, a group of researchers reported the first ever sighting of an albino chimpanzee in the wild. The infant was seen with its mother in a chimpanzee community of the Budongo forest Reserve in Uganda. Although chimpanzees with albinism have existed in captivity, none have until now been seen in the wild.
The infant had total albinism characterized by white hair, no pigmentation in skin or eyes. Researchers estimated that the infant was no older than 19 days at first sighting. Four days after first sighting, the infant was seen being carried by the Sonso community’s alpha male. Subsequently, the infant’s mother was chased off, and the albino fatally bitten by several adults in the community.
According to the researchers, although infanticide is not uncommon within this chimpanzee community, the reactions of the adults towards the infant was unusual. Most adults reacted fearfully on seeing the infant, making alarm calls that are normally associated with sightings of snakes, bush pigs, or unfamiliar humans. However some adults reacted calmly towards the infant.
“the magnitude of the reaction some of the community members exhibited towards the infant with albinism makes it likely that the infant was not considered as a typical chimpanzee”
Researchers propose two possible reasons for the unusual reactions. Due its appearance, the adults may have perceived the infant as an unusual individual or object. The way most adults approached the dead infant (with caution and curiosity) seems to support this suggestion. But, also, the albino chimp’s coloration is similar to that of colobus monkey infants (that chimps in the community often prey on). Perhaps the adults found the “prey” that smelled and looked like a chimpanzee intriguing.
Autopsy of the dead infant confirmed that the infant died of head injuries caused by the bite of a female adult chimpanzee. The infant had been amputated, its ears and several fingers bitten off. Read the paper by Maël Leroux, Gideon Monday, Bosco Chandia, John W. Akankwasa, Klaus Zuberbühler, Catherine Hobaiter, Catherine Crockford, Simon W. Townsend, Caroline Asiimwe, and Pawel Fedurek here.
