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Male bonobos can be highly protective. A striking example occurred at the San Diego Zoo at a time when its enclosure still had a wet moat. The keepers had drained the moat for scrubbing, then went to the kitchen to turn on the water valve to fill it up. Before they could do so, however, they were rudely interrupted by Kakowet, the alpha male. He appeared in front of their kitchen window, screaming and waving his arms. As it turned out, several young bonobos had jumped into the dry moat to play but were unable to get out. If the water flow had not been halted, they would have drowned. Kakowet’s anxious intervention demonstrated his ability to take another’s perspective and recognize their circumstances. But more practically, it also showed that he knew who controlled the water supply. After his alarm, the keepers descended into the moat with a ladder. They got all the bonobos out except for the smallest one, who was pulled up by Kakowet himself.
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