David the Chimp from David Attenborough ‘s Dynasties has been found dead.
The chimpanzee, who appeared on the broadcasting legend’s show this weekend, was seen as the defiant leader of the group.
But he’s sadly been found dead, and it’s believed he was attacked by rivals Jumkin and Luther.
It happened seven months after the cameras stopped rolling on the documentary.
Jill Pruetz, director of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project, confirmed the tragic news to the Daily Telegraph .
Talking about Jumkin and Luther, she said: “He died from wounds inflicted from what I’m sure are these young males.
“There aren’t other animals that would have inflicted wounds like that – especially when you have multiple individuals attacking a single individual.
“He was very aggressive that’s why he held onto his dominant status for so long. He was pretty clever but our best interpretation of what happened is that these adult males jumped him.”
She explained that Jumkin, who had previously been the beta male of the group, had taken over as the alpha.
Jill said David’s absence is very noticeable and that it feels like “more than one chimp is gone”.
She said the “dynamic” of the group had changed and that she thinks Jumkin will be alpha for a while, but that Luther, another beta, is already challenging him.
