The Mitumba Chimpanzee Community is a group of wild eastern chimpanzees that inhabit a 10 kilometre square area of the Gombe Stream National Park which is situated near Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania.[1] This community borders the well known Kasakela community of chimpanzees. The Mitumba community became well known following the migration in 1996 of the female chimpanzee Flossi from the Kasakela community and become the first identified female chimpanzee in her mother's natal group to migrate. In 2010 the community numbered 25 members.[2] Mitumba males have occasionally been killed by males of the Kasakala community.[3] The Mitumba community's range and size has declined since the 1970s largely as a result of competition with the Kasakela community and due to habitat destruction.[4] Rivalry with Kasakela community in the 1990s and 2000s resulted in several Mitumba chimps being killed by Kasekela males, including the infants Rejea and Andromeda and most likely the adult male Rusambo.[5] During this rivalry, Mitumba males killed the Kasakela adult female Patti.[5]
This family group originates from the Kasakela community which was part of the pioneering study by primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, and the family line continues with Flossi's integration into the Mitumba community in 1996.[6] Her younger sister Flirt later integrated into the Mitumba community in 2013.[6]
Flossi (born 1985) is in the Kasakela community and is Fifi's second oldest daughter. Flossi has given birth to four offspring, the males Forest (1997–) and Fansi (2001–) and females Flower (2005–) and Falidi (2009–).[4] She is one of the top-two ranking females in the community.[2]
Edgar (born 1989) joined with Rudi to kill Vincent (the then-alpha male of the Mitumba community and the only male to survive the 2004 epidemic). Edgar and Rudi battled with each other for alpha status; Edgar wins in early 2005. Edgar has since then been the "alpha male" although there are only two males. He had a younger brother, Eboney, who may have been killed by Rudi during the struggle for alpha status, and a younger sister named Eden.