The entrance to Ngamba sanctuary.
I have just returned from a fabulous day visiting the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The day began with almost continuous rumbles of thunder approaching from across Lake Victoria. Just after I left the house to walk down to the jetty, the rain began, but it was only a short cloudburst, and left the air heavy with that rich rain-in-the-dryseason smell.
I joined roughly 10 tourists on a comfortable boat, similar to a Tanganyika dhow, but much smaller. The waves were quite rough at first, but calmed as we reached the island.
Ngamba Island is about 100 acres in size, and is home to 39 orphaned chimpanzees.
The adults are free to roam over almost the entire island during the day, but usually choose to return to a holding facility at night.
Before the adults let out in the morning, staff and volunteers take the juveniles on “forest walks”, since many of them were taken by poachers at a very young age.
Juveniles carrying food away.
The juveniles spend the day in a large enclosure, separated from the adults.
While the chimpanzees are able to forage naturally in the forest, they are also fed four times a day, directly in front of a viewing platform.
Our boat arrived just before their second feeding of the day. After a brief introduction to the mission and history of the sanctuary, we moved to the platform to watch the excitement.
The chimpanzees were fed several different fruits and vegetables, including avocados, carrots, eggplant and apples. They would gather as much as they could, and then walk bipedally away from the fence to eat in peace.
Some of the adult chimps in the sanctuary.
It was clear that all of them were happy and healthy, and it was fun to watch the males display and the juveniles play. The sun was quite hot, and soon after then finished feeding, the chimpanzees moved off into the forest. It seems like the perfect sanctuary set-up.
After the show was over, Lilly Ajarova (The Executive Director) gave me a quick behind-the-scenes tour of the holding facility, the kitchens, and the laboratory, where staff veterinarians analyze blood and fecal samples. There is also a nice tented camp for tourists to stay overnight on the island, which would be a fabulous experience.
We had a nice lunch of local dishes, and then hopped back into the boat for the ride back to Entebbe. A great day!
Tomorrow, Richard’s wife, Elizabeth, and Martin Muller arrive on the 7:30AM British Airways flight, and we will all drive out to Kibale almost immediately!
I’m ready to get back into the field! My access to email will be limited, but I will update the blog as soon as I can.
Ian
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