The group of chimpanzees from the Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek where chimpanzee Wouter lived said goodbye to him on Wednesday. Earlier that day, Wouter ended up in an argument that he did not survive. “We put Wouter in the enclosure,” says caregiver Kris Jansen from Beekse Bergen. “The remaining group of 12 sniffed him, felt his body, pushed and screamed. When Wouter showed no reaction, it was clear to the others. Wouter is dead.”
The entire argument between the chimpanzees lasted five minutes, Kris says. “It started with a small argument about food that had just been distributed. Wouter and another person both grabbed the same snack. That turned into an argument and then the group started to get involved. It became hitting, screaming and biting,” Kris describes the scene. .
Caregivers tried to intervene: “We opened the indoor enclosure to calm the fight and separate the group. Make no mistake, females are at least as fanatical as males during arguments, so it was a bit of a war. In the end we managed to To take Wouter aside, which took the sting out of the argument and restored peace.”
It was a small conflict that escalated.”
Caretaker Kris does not want to say with whom Wouter got into an argument about food. “That doesn’t really matter. Wouter is not a fighter and neither are the others. It was a minor conflict, as is often the case among chimpanzees. This time it escalated and was fatal.”
But it is not yet clear what exactly Wouter died of. According to his caregiver Kris, the injuries sustained did not appear to be life-threatening. “He mainly had injuries to his hands and feet. There were deep wounds in between, but not immediately fatal.”
The caregivers decided to sedate him and stitch these wounds. “There is a good chance that they will otherwise ignite. And then a life-threatening situation could arise.” Wouter died on the operating table.
“We don’t know what killed Wouter.”
On Thursday he will be taken to the University of Utrecht where they will investigate what ultimately killed him. “It could be anything,” explains caregiver Kris. “An anesthetic is always a risk, but perhaps he had undiscovered internal injuries. The stress of the previous argument could also play a role, or perhaps he had heart problems. So everything is still open.”
The group of chimpanzees continues a day later as if nothing had happened. “Wouter had no immediate family here either. A mother can mourn for her young for weeks, which is heartbreaking to see,” Kris says. “At 24, Wouter was in the prime of his life, but was not the alpha male within the group. If he had been the leader, there would now be a lot of tension about who would be the successor.”
Wouter’s death may have made more of an impression on himself than on the other monkeys. “I am a bit ‘short’ for a few days because of this. I know this can happen and life and death are part of taking care of animals. Yet I feel sadness, anger and disappointment.”
“It is an unfortunate coincidence that chimpanzees Stephan and Wouter die after an argument.”
Now it just so happens that last year a chimpanzee also died after a fight. “Chimpanzees often argue. Last year Stephan (14) drowned when he wanted to escape an argument via the canal. The fact that Wouter does not survive an argument is a real coincidence. There have been at least a hundred different chimpanzees here since 2007 and this has not happened. has happened.”
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We wrote this before about Wouter’s fatal argument.
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