Japanese Monkey Shatters Glass Ceiling to Become First Female Boss in Zoo’s History
She is not wasting her time around.
Yakei’s action of rising to higher position to power started when she had a glance on her daughter getting scolded.About a month ago, a 2-year old infant of a monkey was seen fighting with a fellow playmate. The tribe boss at the time, named Nanchu who was a 31-year old male witnessed a confused kind of fight and subsequently he walked slowly with heavy steps because of exhaustion over to break the ongoing scuffle.
But Yakei, who was having a brief look on the sidelines, stepped in before any hands were raised between the infants. The enraged mother then fought Nanchu, forcing him to surrender-and making history in the process.On Friday, Takasakiyama Zoo (the name of the zoo where yakei was kept) crowned Yakei as a female Japanese monkey boss, it was for the first time that the title did not went to a male since the zoo opened way back 53 years ago.The 9-year old monkey’s confident and forceful nature earned her the official title of “boss”, shocking all primate glass ceilings. Children now step out of her path, while males crouch down in fear and run from her when she approaches.
The zoo was astonished to witness all those things, added Tadamaori Fujita, a caretaker at the facility. Not only was she the first female boss in the local monkey sanctuary’s history, it was practically unheard of nationally all over Japan.The caretaker further added while speaking to VICE World News that, “The only other example I’ve heard is a female monkey in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo. Other that that, you just never hear this happening. It’s very rare,”.
While continuing the conversation, the caretaker further told that, “though surprised on how to react, Fujita reckoned if any female monkey would become the megaboss, it’d be Yakei, considering her fiery nature. Yakei’s 20-year-old mother, named as Bikei, was the lead of a social group making her matriarch before Yakei shoved her out earlier this year to be the head of the female monkeys. Yakei was privileged to be raised by such a strong female leader. We think this influence helped her achieve that title”.According to Fujita, while female monkeys have a fairly loose social hierarchy, male monkeys determine who’s boss by age: the oldest male is the more senior.
Nanchu who was 31-years old as well as the male leader too, his age if calculated as per human years would have been equivalent to 100 in human years. Most of the other male monkeys on the group B troop, which Yakei now leads, are equivalent to human grandpas in their 80s. Speaking about Yakei’s age, she was in her 30s in human years.But Yakei ignored social norms and fought her way up.Now, since Yakei was the chief of group B, a troop of 677 male and female macaques, Yakei seems to be enjoying her newly acquired power.Fujita speaking further said ” If you’re the boss, you don’t have to show consideration for other monkeys. And oftentimes because they’re physically stronger, they get more food”.
Yakei now walks about the monkey exhibit with her tail up, a distinctly male behavior. She also picks fights with others, but no monkey gets close enough to engage. This is all because we already know that Yakei was the leader of group b.Everyone was totally unaware about what grand plans Yakei has with her newfound power, but Fujita calculates the mother of three could be adding more infants to her number of infants or litter.
“Monkeys always tend to be monogamous by nature, which means that they keep their relationship with a single partners instead of multiple partners. So come the cold winter days basically between November to March, also called the colder months, female monkeys freely reproduce with the male partners. She’s been a mother since the age of five, so there could be more,” the caretaker said.But regardless of her winter engagements, it is believed that nothing will stop Yakei from claiming what’s hers. King Kong, she’s coming for your name.
@VICE