There’s some devastating news for fans of David Attenborough’s Dynasties.
The incredible new documentary series started last week on BBC One, and viewers were quick to warm to David the chimp, who became an integral part of the first episode.
However, it’s now been tragically revealed that the defiant chimpanzee has died.
Jill Pruetz, director of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project, confirmed that the beloved animal had been found beaten to death.
Jill said: “He died from wounds inflicted from what I’m sure are these other 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 continued: “He was very aggressive that’s why he held onto his dominant status for so long.
“He was pretty clever but our best interpretation of what happened is that these adult males jumped him.”
“Jumkin who was a beta male is now the alpha. There’s a huge absence. It’s like more than one chimp is gone.”
David was the longest running alpha-male in the group’s history.
In the new BBC show, David Attenborough explores the lives of different animal tribes throughout the animal kingdom.
Future episodes of the series will look at Emperor penguins in Antarctica, lions on the plains of the Maasai Mara and tigers in India’s Bandhavgarh National Park.
Dynasties continues Sunday on BBC One.
