Chimpanzees Steal Less From Their Friends
A study at a Ugandan sanctuary found chimpanzees were less likely to take food from friends than from non-friends.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Friendships
Researchers published an experiment showing chimpanzees steal food less often from their friends. The study, conducted at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda, tested food theft using pineapple slices.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that friendship shapes cooperative and self-restraining behavior in chimpanzees, offering a window into the social bonds that underpin primate communities. It adds to a broader picture of how relationships influence everyday choices among animals.
The experiment used pineapple slices as the food and compared theft between friend and non-friend pairs at the Ngamba Island sanctuary. The extraction does not provide sample sizes or quantified results, and the generalizability of the findings beyond this group remains unclear.
The players
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
A sanctuary on Ngamba Island in Uganda that cares for orphaned and rescued chimpanzees and hosts primate behavior research.
University of California
A public university system whose researchers conducted the study on chimpanzee food-sharing and friendship behavior.
The details
The researchers, based at the University of California, pitted friendship against a tempting food source to test whether chimpanzees restrain themselves around friends. The subjects included Pasa and Yoyo, best friends who groom each other, share food, and spend afternoons together on the sanctuary grounds.
Season Trajectory
The study extends a line of research at the Ngamba Island sanctuary into how chimpanzee social bonds shape everyday behavior. It adds to the understanding of primate friendship as a force that influences cooperation and restraint within groups.
The findings suggest that strong social bonds can make individuals more restrained toward their companions, a pattern people may recognize in their own friendships. For readers, the study offers a reminder that cooperation and trust often grow from everyday relationships.
The takeaway
Friendship can shape how even non-human primates treat one another, showing that social bonds influence restraint and cooperation. Paying attention to the relationships that guide our own choices can help us build more trust with the people we care about.
Further reading
Explore more on Friendships to see how bonds shape behavior across species.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Columbian.
