Ngamba Island Things to Do

Ngamba Island is home to these chimps, orphaned due to poaching (approximately 5000 are killed each year) the young were rescued by the Ugandan Wildlife authority and brought to the island sanctuary. They each have handlers to care for them, and they are fed daily at 11 am and 2:30 pm which the public can watch.

Chimpanzees are our closest relative, sharing 98.5 percent DNA. There are actually 2 different species of Chimpanzee. The Common Chimpanzee which is found in 21 African countries
and the Bonobo or Pygmy Chimpanzee which is found in DR Congo. There are four subspecies of the common chimpanzee. There are approximately 175,000 chimpanzees remaining in the wild which is slowly reducing due to poaching.

There are 17 Sanctuary's like Ngamba in Africa and chimpanzee's in general live to about 50 years of age. They live on a diet of fruit, figs and sometimes insects, eggs and nestlings. Occasionally they will stalk, attack, kill and eat monkeys; red colobus monkeys being their favourite. They feed mostly in the morning and evening and rest during the heat of the day.

At the sanctuary, the chimpanzees are fed a variety of foodstuffs including fruit and vegetables, posho and millet porridge. They are fed four times a day.

Contrary to popular belief, chimpanzees do not make good pets. An adult chimpanzee is at least five times stronger than a human being and although chimpanzee infants are cute and harmless, eventually they too grow up. Chimpanzees that are kept as pets by individuals or businesses are kept for human entertainment, not for the chimpanzee’s benefit. Once they reach adolescence they often get out of control, start disobeying their human owners and destroy their domestic environment. At this point they are often restrained, abandoned or even killed, only to be replaced by a new infant who will eventually face the same treatment.

Chimpanzees share 98.4% of their DNA with humans. This means their physiology, anatomy and immunology is very similar to ours. This similarity between the two species has caused one species to suffer for the benefit of the other. Chimpanzees are kept in laboratories around the world, often in poor conditions, so that biochemical researchers can test new drugs, experiment with new vaccines for HIV and Hepatitis and study the effects of various toxins. All for human benefit. For those chimpanzees that are still alive by the end of their “useful” life, their bodies have often suffered too much for them to survive much longer. These chimpanzees pay a high price for being our closest living relative

Chimpanzees have a rich collection of sounds, postures and facial expressions. There are four main ways which they get their point across: touch, smell, sight and sound. Chimpanzee vocalisation is often related to their emotions: pant-hoots of excitement, food grunts at meal time, and barks when angry. Chimps will wave their hands vigorously to ask for food, stare intently at their neighbour hoping for a tasty bit or perhaps “puff up” and “charge” to show their high rank.

Chimps have a complex social life that seems too human to be true. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, even cousins, all live together playing, grooming, exploring and searching for food. The role of the Alpha Male (or Boss Chimp) is to protect the group and promote harmony amongst members. Dominant males are usually 20 years or older.

In the wild chimpanzees are very good mothers. Families generally share a close bond, and community members show a great deal of interest when an infant is born. Chimpanzees are dependent on their mothers until they are about five years old when they are weaned. Like human children, loving care is vitally important in their first years of life.

Chimpanzees show their feelings with gestures and facial expressions. Individuals groom each other regularly to keep clean and promote long-lasting friendship. Chimps experience all the same emotions as we do – the laugh, show anger and grieve when they lose a friend.

Like human children, chimpanzees love to play! They frequently laugh when playing favourite games such as chase or tickle. At this time they are inquisitive and think quickly, learning or practicing skills they need as they grow. Play sessions between older individuals commence when one approaches with a “play walk” – back rounded, head slightly down and movements exaggerated. One of the two then reaches to thump or tickle the other, and the game begins.