What Is Chimpanzee Infanticide?

Introduction

In this paper I will try to explain some of the differences and similarities that occur in both human and chimpanzee cultures concerning infanticide. I will first explain some of the reasons that chimpanzees practice infanticide and share a few examples of such. Then, I will do the same for human cultures which may not be as prominent as we believe but is still happening. Finally, I will compare the similarities and differences between the two, and show how chimpanzees and humans may not be that different after all in this regard.

Chimpanzee Infanticide

Chimpanzees react to infanticide in ways that may seem surprising to us. In fact, they often oppose it but there are differing hypotheses for this such as they share their disapproval

For example, it has been noted that in times when food or other resources are scarce that parents may in fact commit infanticide to lessen the burden of trying to provide more food for, according to Lund, “the least productive members of society,” (Lund 1985: 2). Infanticide is generally much more hidden in our society and actually happens in the hospitals, specifically the neonatal units(Lund 1985: 3). Infanticide occurs here when parents and doctors elect to stop treatment and or food supplies to young infants to cause their deaths when they deem that they would either not have a fulfilling live due to mental impairment or to a serious disease, such as spina bifida (Lund 1985: 3-5). There was one case of infanticide that caught the media’s attention several years ago. The case was about Baby Doe who suffered from Down Syndrome and an esophageal problem that led to him needing surgery to be able to eat, this is a fairly routine surgery that is common with children affected by Down Syndrome (Lund 1985: 21). The parents opted to not go through with the surgery while also opting to not feed their child through a feeding tube, thus causing his death of starvation (Lund 1985: 21). Lund also argues that, “the most common cases of infanticide concern the phenomenon of premature and low weight babies,” where parents and doctors elect not to treat

Many people would like to believe that we are vastly superior to chimpanzees, but based on these cases we are very similar to each other. When people discuss infanticide in chimpanzees they often think of them as primitive or incredibly violent, but when they hear of human individuals are committing infanticide, they blame it on different cultures and claim that they are better than that culture. No matter what they believe, infanticide is something that happens throughout the world both in human populations and other primate