David the chimp – who starred in Dynasties with David Attenborough – has been beaten to death.
The ‘aggressive’ leader had been alpha male of his troop for three years before younger apes ‘jumped’ him.
He hit screens this weekend in the show’s first episode, but was found dead seven months after filming concluded.
Younger males beat their leader to death, according to Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project director Jill Pruetz.
David (pictured) had been alpha male for three years before he was beaten to death after younger males jumped him
David Attenborough (pictured) brought his namesake to viewers this weekend with the first episode of Dynasties
She told The Daily Telegraph: ‘He died from wounds inflicted from what I’m sure are these young males.
‘There aren’t other animals that would have inflicted wounds like that – especially when you have multiple individuals attacking a single individual.’
She said that the evidence pointed to adult males ‘jumping’ him, adding that a chimpanzee called Jumkin had taken over as alpha male.
Attenborough I mean – not the chimpanzee featured in this opening episode also coincidentally, supposedly, called ‘David’ (a pretty unlikely name for a chimpanzee)
Attenborough remains the King not just of nature programmes, or documentary series, but television in general. When he speaks, the nation listens
The first episode proved as blunt and basic as the title indicated. Although there were glimpses of other creatures living around them, Attenborough never deviated from the chimps
When he concluded by revealing that Senegal’s chimpanzees were under threat from the increase of gold mining it wasn’t as clear what the great man required of us
But she said his leadership was under threat from beta male Luther, who she said is ‘already challenging him a bit’.
David – who led the troop in the jungles of Senegal and Guinea, West Africa – was the longest-reigning alpha in the group’s history.
The new BBC show also explores the lives of Emperor penguins in Antarctica and lions in Kenya as well as tigers in India’s Bandhavgarh National Park.