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Leadership challenge

There's dissent in the ranks, and young male Kindia wants a shot at the top job.

Kindia is a young male chimpanzee with a lot of ambition. Just as a research project in the zoo gets going, he disrupts everything by challenging the current leader, Qafsey. By displaying and making as much noise as possible, Kindia intimidates his rivals - the louder and more dramatic the display, the more effective it is. Chimp politics are extremely complicated, relying heavily on making friends and allies. Unfortunately Qafsey isn't very smart, but his mother Emma has used her political skills to become the matriarch. Qafsey is the top male only because of her influence. Although Kindia is trying to become top male, he doesn't have family in high places which would help him, so he needs powerful friends. Some of the higher ranking chimps are taking his side, including previous alpha males which still command a lot of respect. This is a serious challenge for the leadership, but while Qafsey the dominant male still has Emma's support, he will remain in power, and it will take time for any challenge to take effect.

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3 minutes

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