In the Shadow of Man

Adult male chimp Mike surprisingly rose from having a very low status to becoming the dominant male in the group. Goodall witnessed Mike taking empty kerosene cans from her camp to make noisy, aggressive displays in front of the other male chimps. This prompted the other males to develop a more submissive attitude toward him. Goodall explains, “It was obvious that Mike constituted a serious threat towards Goliath’s hitherto unchallenged supremacy” (114). Goodall notes that Mike seemed particularly strategic in his displays of dominance, since most male chimps performed such displays when they were genuinely excited or frustrated, while Mike seemed to manufacture them at will. She writes, “Charging displays usually occur at a time of emotional excitement […] but it seemed Mike almost planned his charging displays […] one might say, in cold blood” (114).

These displays became dangerous for Goodall and other observers, because Mike threw the cans, which sometimes hit Goodall or her equipment. When she decided to remove the cans from the camp, Mike availed himself of her other belongings, such as her camera tripod and crockery cabinet. Goodall remembers “the trail of destruction” (114) as “unbelievable.” While Mike was clearly the dominant male by then, he continued to make dramatic displays often, and many chimps feared him, since he attacked lower-status males, females, and younger chimps.