THESE terrifying images of muscle-bound chimps show why we should all pray the apes don't ever try to take over the world. The pumped-up chimpanzees - who all suffer from the hair-loss condition alopecia - show just how ripped the burly beasts actually are. Chimps are considered the closest living relative of humans, sharing between 95 to 98 percent of the same DNA. However, when it comes to muscular strength there really is no comparison between the two, say wildlife experts.

The 12 were conducting a census of the endangered Tana River Colobus monkey - a project funded by the World Bank - when the women stripped and charged at them. It is thought they were protesting against a plan to turn the area into a nature reserve for the primates, which are unique to the area. The incident, in the Tana river district of south-east Kenya 40 miles from the Indian Ocean, is the latest in a series of clashes between villagers and the Kenya wildlife service, which is seeking to resettle them outside the proposed reserve.