Written by Maria Witz

This Story’s Author

Maria Witz is an international development expert who volunteered at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary last July during annual exams and has graciously shared her stories of the chimpanzees with her Friends of Chimp followers!

Kisembo has been the Alpha male since 2019. When I look at him, I see a dignified, almost royal persona. His wrinkled – chunky – if I can use that word as a descriptor, face is unique to the others. I will go as far to say he is a handsome chimp that just looks like a leader. But what does ‘being a leader’ mean in the chimp world. My first thought would be he is physically stronger and more aggressive than the others but when I watch him interact, he seems rather calm and simply a chill type of guy.

I asked Boris, a Caretaker here at Ngamba Island for 9 years, more about Kisembo and how he became the leader, the Alpha. Boris confirmed that it was not simply because of physical strength or aggression. Rather Kisembo leads with fairness, order, and intelligence that shows itself in strategic relationships. He is selective when he shows his physical strength, mostly for breaking up fights, or as I saw today, chasing one of the other chimps away who was trying to steal food from Chimp Sarah. You would think just like some world leaders (the human kind), he would take advantage of his position and grab the best for himself, which in chimp world may mean food, but no, Kisembo is known to share his food. He does not steal it from others and keeps an eye to make sure all get their fair share.

I was curious what the defining moment was when Kisembo became the Alpha and what happened to his predecessor, Umutama. I understand they have similar leadership styles so the question is, did Kisembo learn from watching Umutama. One aspect of Alpha-hood that I did not realize is that the community will select the Alpha. Kisembo and Umutama are similar in age so it was not that Umutama was getting too old for the position. So what was it that the group decided a new leader was needed?

I asked Dr. Alex Rosati her thoughts on Kisembo’s rise to power and chimpanzee leadership styles in general. Dr. Rosati is a Professor from the University of Michigan that has been carrying out research with the Ngamba Island chimpanzees for several years, and some of her work has specifically studied leadership styles in chimpanzees. “Kisembo is a great example of an alpha chimpanzee that maintains power through affiliation and support from others. Kisembo is more selective about when he gets involved in fights than some of the other big males—and he grooms and spends time with others a lot. Research with chimpanzees also in the wild has shown that while some dominant males maintain power through physical intimidation, others seem to be good leaders because they are friendly and have many social relationships.”

Thank you so much for taking the time read this story! If you would like to support Kisembo or a chimpanzee at Ngamba Island, consider adoption with us here at Friends of Chimps or with the Chimpanzee Trust. Thanks again!