Gombe Chimpanzee War

Gombe Chimpanzee War
Date January 7, 1974 – June 5, 1978 (4 years, 4 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) Location Gombe Stream National Park, Kigoma Region, Tanzania 4°40′S 29°38′E / 4.667°S 29.633°E / -4.667; 29.633 Result Kasakela victory Kahama chimpanzee clan eradicated Kasakela clan enters into conflict with Mitumba and Kalande clans Territorial changes Kasakela regain control over most of the former Kahama territory
Belligerents
Kahama chimpanzees	Kasakela chimpanzees
Commanders and leaders
Hugh (MIA) Charlie †	Figan
Strength
6 males	8 males 1 female[1]
Casualties and losses
7 killed 3 missing and presumed dead (including non-combatants)[2]	1 killed
class=notpageimage| Location within Tanzania

The Gombe Chimpanzee War, also known as the Four-Year War,^[3][4] was a violent conflict between two communities of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in the Kigoma region of Tanzania between 1974 and 1978. The two groups were once unified in the Kasakela community. By 1974, researcher Jane Goodall noticed the community splintering.^[5] Over a span of eight months, a large party of chimpanzees separated themselves into the southern area of Kasakela and were renamed the Kahama community. The separatists consisted of six adult males, three adult females and their young.^[5] The Kasakela was left with eight adult males, twelve adult females and their young.

During the four-year conflict, all males of the Kahama community were killed, effectively disbanding the community. The victorious Kasakela then expanded into further territory but were later repelled by two other communities of chimpanzees.