Today we traveled to Ngamba Island a chimpanzee sanctuary. Originally we were set to paint at a health center today but there was a mix up and unfortunately we were unable to do that however, I am so happy we got the opportunity to do this instead. We were even able to bring along Hannah and some of the Ugandan students on our field work teams and it was really a great time. After driving to the place the island was just a boat ride away!
First off I want to say that I think it’s awesome that the caring people who work and volunteer here dedicate their time to such a great cause. We learned that 95% of the island is used solely for the chimps and the other 5% is what is inhabited by humans, tourists, etc. Before this was used as a sanctuary, people actually called this island home, but those same people were willing to relocate in order to provide this safe haven for the chimps. Those people create many of the crafts that are available in the gift shop and receive compensation for their contributions and sacrifice of their homes which I also think is really cool.
One of the most interesting things that we were able to do was feeding the chimps. There were buckets put out filled with fruits and veggies like watermelon, avocados, bananas, carrots, etc. and we would throw them to the chimps. Although many of us hoped with all our might, we were not able to bottle feed or hold baby chimps (I would’ve died of happiness if we could’ve done that though). It was funny to see how the chimps interacted with us at feeding time. One of the older chimps ( I called him grandpa because of his grey hair) would literally wave over to us and demand us to throw food to him. While we were all distracted, one of the chimps even tried to make an escape! Our tour guide explained to us what the chimps do when they are trying to get out. The fence is electric, but the chimps are so smart that they go into the forest and bring back dry sticks to pry an opening under the fence. Then they can slip through unharmed. One chimp was notorious for doing this and luckily some of us warned our tour guide of her plans before she was able to get out.
We spoke with the vet and learned more about how the chimps are cared for medically. They receive routine checkups, screenings, and vaccinations yearly. The females also have birth control implants just like the kind that I have! We talked with our tour guide about their diets, the process of integrating the chimps into the same environment, what happens when a baby chimp is born, and many other interesting things. Chimps are a lot more like humans than I knew before today. This makes me even more excited for our upcoming chimpanzee tracking!
A Whole New World 