>>105789038I've read a lot of field reports and watched footage of wild bonobos. They are like that in the wild, they just don't fit some misconceptions that come from nowhere. Part of it is that they do nothing in life but sex all day every day. They also play, explore, gather food, make tools, and yes sometimes fight, not nothing but orgies all day. The other is that they're incapable of violence or being jerks. They are capable of extreme violence, the irony is they use violence to prevent a violent society. That sounds like it makes no sense but what happens is that an aggressive or bullying bonobo is met with extreme "scolding" violence to stop it and can lose fingers and toes (bitten off). This prevents the kind of tyrants you see with chimpanzees. Because once someone starts to throw their weight around they are violently attacked by the group. It's usually not fatal but there is one possible case of what could have been murder in response to what the bonobos saw as threatening agression. Bonobos also hunt for meat in co-ed cooperative groups. The idea that they can't coordinate to kill other primates (one thing they hunt is monkeys) and won't fight back if attacked gives a hippy dippy image when they are strong and can be savage. They have also bitten off human fingers to "punish" human caretakers who violate their social and moral code of maintaining peace and order in the group. This sounds awful but shows they can curb their aggressive impulses into cooperation and sex for a more caring and fair group. Even the "lowest on the social totem poll" bonobos are deeply cared for and tended to by all the other bonobos and unlike chimpanzees they will not leave a group member behind, if one gets caught in a trap there are reports of the others trying for days to free them. They will defend other bonobos against threats even if outnumbered while chimps run away from fights if they don't have a clear advantage and help others
