If they have a choice between cooperating or competing, chimpanzees almost always opt for cooperation. And that despite the fact that the ability to collaborate, establish links and pitch in to achieve a common goal has always been considered an exclusive ability of the human being . However, as with other skills, primates share them too. This is the main conclusion of a new study carried out at the Yerkes Research Center in Atlanta (USA), where apes live outdoors in conditions very similar to those of their original habitats. The researchers who did the experiment observed that chimpanzees know how to do without the law of the fittest and prefer to help each other to achieve a goal . In addition, our cousins do not like freeloaders at all , because when they see a fellow man stealing food they get angry and prefer not to work with him.
The study authors proposed to the chimpanzees a cooperative task that consisted of placing an artifact that they had to pull in order to access a treat. Specifically, eleven of these apes had to make the decision to work together to win the prize or to compete with each other through assault or theft. According to the article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , scientists gave them thousands of opportunities to act in one way or another.
The device was a long tray embedded in an area of the outdoor enclosure where they live. In order to move the tray, two or three individuals simultaneously had to remove some bars to which they had free access. The bars were too far apart for an animal to be able to move them on its own, so each chimpanzee needed at least one partner. Once the tray was on the edge of the box, the prize – a small amount of food – was tipped into a funnel and delivered to the chimps sitting on the drawbars. Since the device was attached to its enclosure, the chimpanzees could come up, come and go as they pleased and choose the partners they wanted to work with. In the first part of the experiment sessions, two chimpanzees were needed to win the prize, and in the second part, three were needed. The result was clear. The frequency of cooperative acts was five times higher than that of selfish acts.
In addition, according to Malini Suchak, co-author of the study, if any of them decided to steal the prize, the monkeys would react energetically, protest against the taker or refuse to work in their presence. At times, the most dominant individuals intervened to help other colleagues against the corrupt. This punishment of third parties occurred 14 times, mainly in response to the aggression between a cheeky chimpanzee and an honest one.
Chimpanzees are actually quite good at preventing competition and promoting collaboration , Suchak says, stressing that chimpanzees and humans use similar mechanisms to overcome rivalry and achieve common goals. The study shows striking similarities between species and gives another insight into human evolution.
One of the world’s most prestigious primatologists, Frans de Waal, who is also a researcher at Yerkes, agrees: “Human cooperation is said to be unique, but nature is full of cooperation, from ants to killer whales. Our study is the first one that shows that our closest relatives know well how to avoid violence and punish the profiteers. Cooperation is necessary. “
