In chimpanzees’ lives, the adoption of an orphan child is a usual practice. The child is adopted by a dominant female or male dominant in case the real mother is dead.

Walking in the forest, the mother or the father waits for the small when he stays behind; he is always defended by his adoptive parents when he is threatened. The food is shared with him. If the orphan is threatened by a member of the group while the adoptive parent is far from him, he screams for help. And if help does not come, he cries for a while and then keeps quiet.

When the adoptive mother has a child of her own and the orphan is under three years old, his life is in danger because the mother will not breastfeed him. He has no chance to survive. At the age of 13, a female chimpanzee may have her first child. Males become influential at the age of 15 years. A female chimpanzee can have up to 5 children. As soon as that child is 5 years old, the female chimpanzee can take another conception.

If the adoptive mother has no child, she can hold the orphan on her back. However, if there is a baby, he has full power and the orphan has no right to beat the beloved child.

When the orphan is unable to make his nest, it may share the same nest with his adoptive parents. When chimpanzees catch monkeys during hunting periods, such as the Western Red Colobus (Procolobus baduis baduis) and the Western black-and-white Colobus (Colobus polykomos), by the time of meat sharing the orphan stays out of the group for fear of being struck. If his mother is there, he will have the chance to have a piece. Often, his parents refuse him some meat, because it is a rare protein source and chimpanzees practice hunting only in the months of August-September.

The orphan will have no opportunity to one day lead a group of chimpanzees, except for the case of his father be an influential member in the group to be strong enough to impose this.

Considering all this, it seems urgent to protect wild chimpanzees from poachers to avoid that some individuals lose their parents and stay alone.