Wild chimpanzees share alcohol -containing fruit

The predominantly British team led by Anna Bowland of the University of Exeter has filmed this behavior several times in the Cantanhez National Park in West African Guinea-Bissau. The chimpanzees shared the fermented pumpkin fruits of the Okwabaum (Treculia Africana), also known as African bread fruit tree.

His fruits weigh up to 30 kilograms when they are ripe. The majority of the fruits investigated on the ground – 24 of 28 – showed an alcohol content that reached a maximum of 0.61 percent.

Reasons for behavior are unclear
The group registered a total of 70 events with camera traps in which chimpanzee (pan troglodytes) consumed the fruits. In nine of those ten observations in which the large monkeys shared this food, the fruits contain alcohol. It is unclear whether the alcohol specifically consumes or why the fermented fruit is shared with others. It is also unclear whether and how much alcohol – especially in the low concentrations – causes a frenzy in the animals.

“We know that drinking alcohol in people leads to the release of dopamine and endorphins, which causes feelings of happiness and relaxation,” explains the first author Anna Bowland. “We also know that sharing alcohol – also in the context of traditions such as parties – contributes to the formation and strengthening of social connections.” Now, according to the ecologist, the question arises whether this is comparable to chimpanzees. In this case it can be a primary form of celebration.