Smashing the patriarchy in the human world has been easier said than done. But last year, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque in a reserve in southern Japan showed humans how it’s done by violently overthrowing the alpha male of her troop to become its first female leader in the reserve’s 70-year history.

The macaque, named Yakei, presides over a troop of 677 monkeys in Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden, which was established as a reserve for monkeys in 1952. There are two troops on the island reserve, and they spend most of their time roaming the forested mountain at its center. They also make daily visits to a park at the base of the mountain, where the staff provides food. Since the reserve opened, its staff has kept tabs on the romantic and political struggles of the simian residents.

Yakei’s ascent to alpha status surprised both scientists and reserve workers, who are now closely observing Yakei’s reign to see how long she can maintain her supremacy. And with breeding season sending Yakei into the middle of something like a messy love triangle, some experts wonder if she may be vulnerable to a usurper.

​​The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is a highly intelligent species native to Japan. It is well known for its beet-red bottom and its affinity for soaking in hot springs.

While many animals, including bees, hyenas and elephants, live in female-led societies, a hostile takeover by a female “is very rare in Japanese macaque society, and only a few cases have been reported in the history of primatology,” Yu Kaigaishi, a research fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, said in an email.

Japanese macaque society is based on a strict hierarchy. The higher an individual monkey’s rank, the greater its access to food, mates and resting locations. Females inherit the rank just below their mothers and rarely leave the troop they were born into. Males leave their natal troop upon reaching puberty and join a new troop, where their rank is usually determined by the amount of time they have spent in the troop. However, rank is sometimes gained through acts of violence, typically male on male.

Yakei confounded what primatologists expected among Japanese macaques. Last April, she beat up her own mother to claim the top spot among the females of her troop. While most females would be content there, Yakei continued to fight.

According to reserve workers, Yakei assaulted three high-ranking males, then went after Nanchu, who had led the troop for five years. At the age of 31, Nanchu is elderly for a Japanese macaque and was ultimately no match for the young and determined Yakei.

“She physically attacked and defeated Nanchu, consequently acquiring the highest ranking in the troop,” said Kaigaishi, who studies the behavior of Japanese macaques.

After Yakei’s altercation with Nanchu, reserve workers performed what is known as a “peanut test”: providing the monkeys with peanuts and seeing who eats first. Males and females stepped aside to let Yakei eat first, a confirmation of her alpha status.

Since then, “Yakei has shown some behaviors typically seen only in dominant males, such as walking with her tail up and shaking tree branches with her body,” said Kaigaishi, who is not affiliated with the reserve. "It sounds as if she is behaving like an adult male, being more aggressive than other individuals.”

Although Yakei seems to be leaning into her role, she is likely to face challenges. The reign of an alpha can last from a few months to over a decade. But observers of the troop say that mating season could change things for Yakei.

Mating time at the reserve, which typically runs from November until March, is in full swing. During the breeding season, male and female macaques, which are polygamous, form pair bonds. They mate, feed, rest and travel with their partners for an average of 16 days. After this period, the bond dissolves, and the females seek new partners. Females typically mate with an average of four males each breeding season.

“Mating season generally heats things up in Japanese macaque society,” said Katherine Cronin of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, who studies animal social behavior and cognition, including of her zoo’s own Japanese macaques. “The environment becomes more competitive and tense.”

During previous breeding seasons, Yakei paired with Goro, a 15-year-old male ranked sixth within the troop. According to the reserve, the Japanese newspaper Manichi Shimbun reported, Goro bit Yakei in the face in 2019, a move that caused her bottom to flush bright red — a sign she was ready and willing to take him as a mate. However, since Yakei has claimed the troop’s top spot, Goro seems to have lost interest in her.

Since then, another male, an 18-year-old named Luffy, ranked fifth in the troop, has tried to woo Yakei, but to no avail. “Luffy likes Yakei, but it appears one-sided,” Satoshi Kimoto, a guide at Takasakiyama, said in an email.

Yakei could feasibly form pair bonds with both Goro and Luffy over the course of this breeding season. However, her distaste for Luffy seems to have recently evolved into something more akin to fear.

“I visited Takasakiyama last week and observed that Yakei showed a facial expression (known as ‘fear grimace’) typical for subordinate individuals against Luffy,” Kaigaishi said in an email. “Also, I observed Luffy pushing Yakei away to monopolize food.”

While Kaigaishi said more data was needed to reach any conclusions, he added, “It seemed that Luffy was dominant over Yakei.”

Whether Yakei’s behavior is the result of a fall from power or simply a sign she doesn’t wish to mate with Luffy is not yet clear. Kimoto said he still believed that Yakei held the top spot and that “she won’t fall from the top only from mating.”

If Yakei’s rule continues, scientists like Kaigaishi will have a unique opportunity to study how Japanese macaques fare in a society led by a female.

“Japanese macaque society is so dramatic and unpredictable,” he said, “which is why many people, both researchers and nonresearchers, love to observe them.”

Smashing the patriarchy in the human world has been easier said than done. But last year, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque in a reserve in southern Japan showed humans how it’s done by violently overthrowing the alpha male of her troop to become its first female leader in the reserve’s 70-year history.

Smashing the patriarchy in the human world has been easier said than done. But last year, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque in a reserve in southern Japan showed humans how it’s done by violently overthrowing the alpha male of her troop to become its first female leader in the reserve’s 70-year history. The macaque, named Yakei, presides over a troop of 677 monkeys in Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden, which was established as a reserve for monkeys in 1952. There are two troops on the island reserve, and they spend most of their time roaming the forested mountain at its center. They also make daily visits to a park at the base of the mountain, where the staff provides food. Since the reserve opened, its staff has kept tabs on the romantic and political struggles of the simian residents. Yakei’s ascent to alpha status surprised both scientists and reserve workers, who are now closely observing Yakei’s reign to see how long she can maintain her supremacy. And with breeding season sending Yakei into the middle of something like a messy love triangle, some experts wonder if she may be vulnerable to a usurper. The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is a highly intelligent species native to Japan. It is well known for its beet-red bottom and its affinity for soaking in hot springs. While many animals, including bees, hyenas and elephants, live in female-led societies, a hostile takeover by a female “is very rare in Japanese macaque society, and only a few cases have been reported in the history of primatology,” Yu Kaigaishi, a research fellow at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, said in an email. Japanese macaque society is based on a strict hierarchy. The higher an individual monkey’s rank, the greater its access to food, mates and resting locations. Females inherit the rank just below their mothers and rarely leave the troop they were born into. Males leave their natal troop upon reaching puberty and join a new troop, where their rank is usually determined by the amount of time they have spent in the troop. However, rank is sometimes gained through acts of violence, typically male on male. Yakei confounded what primatologists expected among Japanese macaques. Last April, she beat up her own mother to claim the top spot among the females of her troop. While most females would be content there, Yakei continued to fight. According to reserve workers, Yakei assaulted three high-ranking males, then went after Nanchu, who had led the troop for five years. At the age of 31, Nanchu is elderly for a Japanese macaque and was ultimately no match for the young and determined Yakei. “She physically attacked and defeated Nanchu, consequently acquiring the highest ranking in the troop,” said Kaigaishi, who studies the behavior of Japanese macaques. After Yakei’s altercation with Nanchu, reserve workers performed what is known as a “peanut test”: providing the monkeys with peanuts and seeing who eats first. Males and females stepped aside to let Yakei eat first, a confirmation of her alpha status. Since then, “Yakei has shown some behaviors typically seen only in dominant males, such as walking with her tail up and shaking tree branches with her body,” said Kaigaishi, who is not affiliated with the reserve. "It sounds as if she is behaving like an adult male, being more aggressive than other individuals.” Although Yakei seems to be leaning into her role, she is likely to face challenges. The reign of an alpha can last from a few months to over a decade. But observers of the troop say that mating season could change things for Yakei. Mating time at the reserve, which typically runs from November until March, is in full swing. During the breeding season, male and female macaques, which are polygamous, form pair bonds. They mate, feed, rest and travel with their partners for an average of 16 days. After this period, the bond dissolves, and the females seek new partners. Females typically mate with an average of four males each breeding season. “Mating season generally heats things up in Japanese macaque society,” said Katherine Cronin of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, who studies animal social behavior and cognition, including of her zoo’s own Japanese macaques. “The environment becomes more competitive and tense.” During previous breeding seasons, Yakei paired with Goro, a 15-year-old male ranked sixth within the troop. According to the reserve, the Japanese newspaper Manichi Shimbun reported, Goro bit Yakei in the face in 2019, a move that caused her bottom to flush bright red — a sign she was ready and willing to take him as a mate. However, since Yakei has claimed the troop’s top spot, Goro seems to have lost interest in her. Since then, another male, an 18-year-old named Luffy, ranked fifth in the troop, has tried to woo Yakei, but to no avail. “Luffy likes Yakei, but it appears one-sided,” Satoshi Kimoto, a guide at Takasakiyama, said in an email. Yakei could feasibly form pair bonds with both Goro and Luffy over the course of this breeding season. However, her distaste for Luffy seems to have recently evolved into something more akin to fear. “I visited Takasakiyama last week and observed that Yakei showed a facial expression (known as ‘fear grimace’) typical for subordinate individuals against Luffy,” Kaigaishi said in an email. “Also, I observed Luffy pushing Yakei away to monopolize food.” While Kaigaishi said more data was needed to reach any conclusions, he added, “It seemed that Luffy was dominant over Yakei.” Whether Yakei’s behavior is the result of a fall from power or simply a sign she doesn’t wish to mate with Luffy is not yet clear. Kimoto said he still believed that Yakei held the top spot and that “she won’t fall from the top only from mating.” If Yakei’s rule continues, scientists like Kaigaishi will have a unique opportunity to study how Japanese macaques fare in a society led by a female. “Japanese macaque society is so dramatic and unpredictable,” he said, “which is why many people, both researchers and nonresearchers, love to observe them.”

Love triangle challenges reign of Japan’s monkey queen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power was set to end on Sunday when parliament votes on a new government, ushering in an administration that has pledged to heal a nation bitterly divided over the departure of the country's longest serving leader. 
 
Netanyahu, 71, the most dominant Israeli politician of his generation, had failed to form a government after Israel's March 23 election, its fourth in two years. The new cabinet, which will be sworn in after a Knesset confidence vote it is expected to win, was cobbled together by the centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid and ultra-nationalist Naftali Bennett. 
 
Bennett, a hawkish hi-tech millionaire, will serve as premier for two years before Lapid, a former popular TV host, takes over. They will head a government that comprises parties from across the political spectrum, including for the first time one that represents the 21% Arab minority. They plan largely to avoid sweeping moves on hot-button international issues, such as policy towards the Palestinians while they focus on domestic reforms. 
 
With little to no prospect of progress towards resolving the decades-long conflict with Israel, many Palestinians will be unmoved by the change of administration, saying Bennett will likely pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu. 
 
On the international stage, with his polished English and booming baritone voice, the telegenic Netanyahu has become the face of Israel. Serving in his first term as prime minister in the 1990s and since 2009 winning four more terms in succession, he has been a polarising figure, both abroad and at home. 
 
Often referred to by his nickname Bibi, Netanyahu is loved by his hard-core supporters and loathed by critics. His ongoing corruption trial, on charges he denies, has only deepened the chasm. 
 
His opponents have long reviled what they see as Netanyahu's divisive rhetoric, underhanded political tactics and subjection of state interests to his own political survival. Some have dubbed him 'Crime Minister' and have accused him of mishandling the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout. 
 
Celebrations by his opponents to mark the end of the Netanyahu era began late on Saturday outside his official residence in Jerusalem, the site of weekly protests against the right-wing leader for the past year, where a black banner stretched across a wall read: "Bye Bye, Bibi, Bye bye", and demonstrators sang, beat drums and danced. 
 
But for Netanyahu's large and loyal voter base, the departure of 'King Bibi' as some call him, may be difficult to accept. His supporters are angered by what they see as the country turning its back on a leader dedicated to its security and a bulwark against international pressure for any steps that could lead to a Palestinian state, even as he promoted diplomatic deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. 
 
None of those moves, however, nor the role he played in securing COVID-19 vaccines for the country's world-beating inoculation campaign, were enough to grant Netanyahu's Likud party enough votes to secure him a sixth term in office. 
 
Bennett in particular has drawn anger from within the right-wing camp for breaking a campaign pledge by joining forces with Lapid. He has justified the move by saying another election, which would likely be called were no government formed, would have been a disaster for Israel. 
 
Both he and Lapid have said they want to bridge political divides and unite Israelis under a government that will work hard for all its citizens. 
 
Their cabinet faces considerable diplomatic, security and financial challenges: Iran, a fragile ceasefire with Palestinian militants in Gaza, a war crimes probe by the International Criminal Court, and economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. 
 
On top of that, their patchwork coalition of parties commands only a razor-thin majority in parliament, 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats, and will still have to contend with Netanyahu - who is sure to be a combative head of the opposition. And no one is ruling out a Netanyahu comeback. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power was set to end on Sunday when parliament votes on a new government, ushering in an administration that has pledged to heal a nation bitterly divided over the departure of the country's longest serving leader.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power was set to end on Sunday when parliament votes on a new government, ushering in an administration that has pledged to heal a nation bitterly divided over the departure of the country's longest serving leader. Netanyahu, 71, the most dominant Israeli politician of his generation, had failed to form a government after Israel's March 23 election, its fourth in two years. The new cabinet, which will be sworn in after a Knesset confidence vote it is expected to win, was cobbled together by the centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid and ultra-nationalist Naftali Bennett. Bennett, a hawkish hi-tech millionaire, will serve as premier for two years before Lapid, a former popular TV host, takes over. They will head a government that comprises parties from across the political spectrum, including for the first time one that represents the 21% Arab minority. They plan largely to avoid sweeping moves on hot-button international issues, such as policy towards the Palestinians while they focus on domestic reforms. With little to no prospect of progress towards resolving the decades-long conflict with Israel, many Palestinians will be unmoved by the change of administration, saying Bennett will likely pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu. On the international stage, with his polished English and booming baritone voice, the telegenic Netanyahu has become the face of Israel. Serving in his first term as prime minister in the 1990s and since 2009 winning four more terms in succession, he has been a polarising figure, both abroad and at home. Often referred to by his nickname Bibi, Netanyahu is loved by his hard-core supporters and loathed by critics. His ongoing corruption trial, on charges he denies, has only deepened the chasm. His opponents have long reviled what they see as Netanyahu's divisive rhetoric, underhanded political tactics and subjection of state interests to his own political survival. Some have dubbed him 'Crime Minister' and have accused him of mishandling the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout. Celebrations by his opponents to mark the end of the Netanyahu era began late on Saturday outside his official residence in Jerusalem, the site of weekly protests against the right-wing leader for the past year, where a black banner stretched across a wall read: "Bye Bye, Bibi, Bye bye", and demonstrators sang, beat drums and danced. But for Netanyahu's large and loyal voter base, the departure of 'King Bibi' as some call him, may be difficult to accept. His supporters are angered by what they see as the country turning its back on a leader dedicated to its security and a bulwark against international pressure for any steps that could lead to a Palestinian state, even as he promoted diplomatic deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. None of those moves, however, nor the role he played in securing COVID-19 vaccines for the country's world-beating inoculation campaign, were enough to grant Netanyahu's Likud party enough votes to secure him a sixth term in office. Bennett in particular has drawn anger from within the right-wing camp for breaking a campaign pledge by joining forces with Lapid. He has justified the move by saying another election, which would likely be called were no government formed, would have been a disaster for Israel. Both he and Lapid have said they want to bridge political divides and unite Israelis under a government that will work hard for all its citizens. Their cabinet faces considerable diplomatic, security and financial challenges: Iran, a fragile ceasefire with Palestinian militants in Gaza, a war crimes probe by the International Criminal Court, and economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, their patchwork coalition of parties commands only a razor-thin majority in parliament, 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats, and will still have to contend with Netanyahu - who is sure to be a combative head of the opposition. And no one is ruling out a Netanyahu comeback. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel's Knesset to vote on new government, end Netanyahu's record reign

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