July 14th of every year is World Chimpanzee Day in honor of mankind’s closest living relative in the animal kingdom. The day has its roots in Dr. Jane Goodall’s extraordinary and groundbreaking research in chimpanzees that started at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. It reminds us of our responsibility to protect the species through empowering communities to take action on behalf of chimpanzees, secure their future and a call for our collective efforts to save them.
World Chimpanzee Day also calls for educating global audiences about their uniqueness as well as their importance to the ecosystem. The day further raises awareness and inspires action about the threats they face in the wild, including loss of habitat, poaching, diseases and wildlife trafficking. It rallies international advocacy for their welfare and better treatment while in captivity.
It is in this spirit that Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary celebrated July 14th 2023 by inviting the general public to an ‘Open-Day’ tour of the sanctuary at no cost. On any other day, the public pays to tour the island. On this occasion, everyone was free to access the sanctuary without paying. The only problem the public faced was that one needed to travel by water to the island. This made the open day limited to a few visitors who could afford to cross to the island.
As one of those that were lucky to attend, I enjoyed the boat ride in MV NODL from Entebbe’s Nakiwogo Landing Site. Lake Nalubaale is notorious for rough winds between the end of April to the beginning of August and this being July, we faced our fair share of those mountainous waves that pounded our heavy boat up to Ngamba island. Those traveling on water for the first time faced a rougher time, they suffered from what we know as sea sickness. Nevertheless, we arrived safely and forgot about the journey almost immediately.
On arrival, we found a guide waiting for us in what they called ‘Emergency Assembly Area”. It is this same area that visitors and staff assemble in case one chimpanzee escapes. Everyone will be required to gather here if a whistle is blown so that they don’t get hurt by the animal and also to give the caretakers space to trace it.
The sanctuary has 53 chimps aged between 2-39 years; the island provides them a natural living environment. A small section is fenced off for staff houses, cottages, shops and offices. It was an amazing spectacle watching chimps being served fruits. One kept thumping his chest and raising a hand to ask for fruits. There was a mother with a child being harassed by stubborn colleagues over fruits and i felt sorry for her, but she eventually got her share. There was another character named Tumbo that was all grey-haired and we were told he suffers an equivalent of human albinism. Chimps Maawa and Asega were lounging alone in an enclosure, and we were told they are too stubborn for other members.
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary has some packages on how one can become a friend of chimps through support programs. For example, if one donates US $500 and above for the restoration of degraded natural forest annually, he/she gets a membership certificate, web listing, quarterly updates on field activities and recognition in the monthly newsletter. US $150 for orphaned baby chimps a month, one gets a membership certificate and a photo at the booth. US $100 to sponsor a school outreach, one gets an update on school outreaches, photo at the booth and a membership certificate. As for US $50 to build a stove for families living near chimpanzee habitat, you get a photo of the built stove and a membership certificate.
There is a corporate category for donations as well; a bronze at US $250 to help buy enrichment materials for a month, one gets a membership certificate and a plaque of 16x17cm. Silver of US $1000 to provide bedding materials for chimps will earn you a membership certificate, a plaque of 22x17cm, website listing and a mention of sponsorship to the 14,000 members of the Trust’s mailing list. And finally, a gold donation of US $2500 and above that helps to restore 5 hectares of degraded forests and or buy fresh vegetables for a month will earn you all benefits of the silver category, a plaque of 26x17cm, one half day trip for 5 people to Ngamba Island per renewal.
All these donations are aimed at conservation, protection and betterment of their environment and looking after the animal keepers that are doing a tremendous job at the sanctuary. The trip was very educative, adventurous and relaxing. The swim back to Entebbe was much calmer and we enjoyed it immensely. Keep up the good work Ngamba Sanctuary and I encourage all Ugandans to visit the island not only to support but learn and preserve our closest cousins of the wild kingdom.
Magezi Kiriinjju
Communications Officer at Government Citizen Interaction Centre
A Member of Campfire Ideological Sturdy Group
