Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda. Primates Trekking Safaris through Uganda and Rwanda.
Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda. Uganda is home to a sizeable population of common chimpanzees with an estimate of about 5,000 individuals according to the IUCN Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan of 2010–2020.
Chimpanzees are great apes that live in tropical forests and woodland savannahs across central and west Africa. The Eastern chimpanzee also known as the common chimpanzee are the only subspecies that are common in Uganda. Other countries where it can be trekked include Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Chimpanzees in Uganda have been well studied, with long-term research conducted over time in Budongo Forest Reserve, Kibale National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and recently in Kalinzu Forest Reserve. These studies have focused on the ecology and behavior of chimpanzees in their respective environments.
Kibale National Park alone contains about 25% of Uganda’s chimpanzees thus the name Primates Capital of the World. Other larger populations are in Budongo and Bugoma Forest Reserves with each destination having more than 500 individuals.
Maramagambo forest, Kalinzu and Kasyoha-Kitomi forest reserves have populations of less than 500 individuals in each forest. but Still, these three reserves are interconnected and form a single population, numbering around 900 chimpanzees and more. The common Chimpanzee is a distinctive black-coated ape that’s more closely related to man than any other living creature, sharing 98.7 percent of our genetic blueprint. Science research also strongly suggests we share a common ancestor.
Social behaviors of Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees live in a large, loosely bonded community called a band or troops based around a core of related males with an internal hierarchy topped by an alpha male. Females are generally less strongly bonded to their core group than males, which means emigration between communities is very common. Chimpanzee troops are usually made up of around 15 to 80 members. Chimps sleep, travel, and feed in smaller sub-groups of up to ten individuals within their communities. These sub-groups can be very flexible, with members changing quickly and regularly.
Chimpanzees are experts at grooming and spend a lot of their time running their fingers through each other’s hair to remove dirt, pesky parasites, and dead skin. Grooming is an important activity for social bonding because it keeps them clean and helps them build friendships and strengthen bonds with each other.
Intelligence
After humans, chimpanzees are the most intelligent of our planet’s primates and they’ve developed remarkable ways of communicating. These clever creatures “talk” to each other using different gestures, facial expressions, and numerous vocalizations, too, such as hoots, grunts, and screams. In language studies in the USA, researchers have taught chimps to communicate in American sign language. They’ve demonstrated their understanding, in some instances, by even creating compound words for new objects such as rock-berry to describe a nut. Primatologists have recorded chimpanzees using modified tools like sticks to ‘fish’ in termite mounds. In other instances, researchers have observed chimps cracking nuts open using a stone and anvil. Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda.
Feeding and Diet
Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda. When it comes to food, chimpanzees aren’t exactly fussy! Fruit is at the top of their menu, but they also munch on leaves, flowers, seeds, bird eggs, insects, and even other animals, too, such as monkeys and wild pigs. Some groups of chimps eat up to 200 different kinds of food. In Tanzania’s Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains national parks, Primatologists have recorded chimpanzees regularly hunting red colobus monkeys. Researchers in Kalinzu Forest in Uganda have observed chimps eating blue and red-tailed monkeys, as well as unsuccessful attempts to hunt black-and-white colobus. Chimpanzees are typical animals of the rainforest and woodlands from Guinea to western Uganda. Their behavior has been studied since 1960 by Jane Goodall and others at Gombe Stream and other sites across Africa, including the Budongo and Kibale forests in Uganda.
Reproduction
Females generally give birth to a single chimp or in a few incidences’ twins every five to six years. For the first six months, the baby chimpanzee clings to the fur on its mother’s belly and then later rides around on her back until the age of two. After that, the youngster will spend the next seven to ten years by their mother’s side, learning how to find food, use tools, and build nests to sleep. Like humans, chimpanzee infants rely on their mothers for support, protection, and education. The bond between a mother chimpanzee and her infant is like the one we as humans share with our mothers. Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda.
Where to see chimpanzees in Uganda
Uganda offers the best chimpanzee tracking opportunities on the continent, with researchers recording over 5000 individuals. Uganda Wildlife Authority has habituated several chimp troops for primate tourism in Kibale Forest National Park, the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semliki Wildlife Reserve, and the Budongo and Kanyiyo Pabidi forests, Murchison Falls National Park. Chimpanzee tracking excursions starting from Kanyanchu trailhead in Kibale Forest offer the best opportunities to see chimpanzees in the wild. You can trek chimps in Uganda for a price of a chimp permit costing USD 150 per person or opt for a chimpanzee habituation experience that gives you a whole day with a chimp troop for USD 200 per person.
Katland Safaris offers all-inclusive primate safaris typically starting from Entebbe and heading to Kibale Forest national park or any other opted-for chimpanzee destination.
Later the trip can connect to any other destination say Queen Elizabeth National Park for a savannah game drive and boat safari. If not interested in the savannah big game, one can connect directly to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and see the mountain gorillas or head as far as Lake Bunyonyi for creating and rewarding relaxation and community encounters. Chimpanzee Trekking adventures In Uganda.
For any more inquiries about Chimpanzee trekking adventures through Uganda and Rwanda, please contact us at info@katlandafricagorillasafari.com
