Chimpamzee Tracking

Chimpanzee Tracking

Chimpamzee Tracking

Chimpanzee Tracking is an art of taking a stroll through the forests in order for one to be able to catch a glimpse of the fascinating primates the swing around the forest branches.

Queen Elizabeth national park has five prominent ecosystems ranging from the thick underground rain forest in kyambura gorge to the swamps along kazinga channel.

The dramatic Kyambura gorge lies 30km from the loge in queen Elizabeth national park. It is also known as the valley of Apes and is found in the eastern part of famous queen Elizabeth national park. If you visit the gorge you will see a world different from the one you know; it is drained by river kyambura, it has a rainforest that is near to the equator. The top of the trees receive just enough sunlight. The underground vegetation is eye catching and verdant. And if you come to visit this gorge, you will not go back home the same, but with a lot to write and talk about.

The type of vegetation in kyambura gorge is adoptable to the life style of the famous chimpanzees; it is characterized with the tall thick trees and the underground rainforest vegetation. The trees give fruits seasonally. This makes the stay of the chimpanzees an enjoyable one, due to the presence of their main course (fruits).

Kyambura gorge has a mobile community of chimpanzees that is very mobile compared to the other chimpanzees in other national parks like Kibale.  In July 2013, over 24 chimpanzees were given names by Uganda wildlife authority. A tourist stands a chance of about 80% to see the habituated chimpanzees once they pay a visit.

There is a thing about the chimpanzees that are found at Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park. Almost all of them are habituated chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth national park; meaning the chimpazees are familiar with humans and they can carry out their activities in presence of humans. The chimpanzees are also in other areas like kibale national park. But, it’s by luck that a tourist can spot one habituated chimpanzee in kibale national park because they are too many and mobile in the forest.

Besides the trees being tall and fruitful in the seasons, their branches are easily bent. This makes the work of building nests by these chimpanzees, an easy work. The chimpanzees make nests in the tree branches by bending them to make them connected and they line the branches with twigs to make the nests firm.

As if that is not enough, the gorge has several habituated chimpanzees, that you can enjoy watching. They swing in the tree branches, during the morning hours, to come and look for their food. There are other places in the kalinzu forest which is found in bushenyi, kibale national park, but queen is spectacular for this activity since it has a wide range of wild life, which supplements the chimpanzees to give you a memorable experience.

What can make you a right person to participate in chimpanzee tracking activity?

A charge of US$ 30 and USHs30, 000 (for the east African community) is the payment for chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura gorge. However, the chimpanzee tracking is supposed to be done along with a professional tour guide. Therefore, a charge of US$20 is paid to the professional tour guide to help your with the habituation of chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge.

The nature of the roads in not only Queen Elizabeth national park but also other national parks, in rainy seasons may not be favorable for any kind of vehicles. A four wheel drive (4WD) is ideal for chimpanzee tracking in the national park.

The morning hours are ideal for the activity of chimpanzee tracking. During the morning hours and specifically around 8am, most of the animals are out to go hunt or from the night movements such as the hippos and others come out to get some sun light like the pythons in nyanzibiri cave in maramagambo forest.

Chimpanzee tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is also best done in the morning from 8am, and it lasts for 2-4hrs, and by the afternoon, around 2pm, the game drive is supposed to be done after chimpanzee tracking activity.

The national park is a place for a lot of wildlife, both fauna and flora. This fact makes the activity of chimpanzee tracking not so cool for children below the age of 15 years and they are not permitted to do this activity. .

Behaviour of chimpanzees?

The chimpanzees stay in groups called troops, these troops consist of about 30-80 individuals. The large groups consist of small, very supple or easily led groups of fewer chimpanzees, possibly, females or male and at times mixed sex.

The chimpanzees chew leaves. After chewing them, they thereafter use them as sponge. They dip the leaves in water and suck out the moisture. They can be seen along kazinga channel during the boat cruise.

As humans have tools to get there food ready to eat, chimpanzees use twigs and sticks as tools to get there food. They put the twigs in anthills. This is to make the termites come up on the twigs not knowing they are a morning meal for the chimpanzees. Termites are a nice meal for these chimpanzees in kyambura gorge. They also use the sticks to chase away enemies from their nests.

The chimpanzees also check under tree roots for nuts. The chimpanzees crack the nuts using the stones. The chimpanzees eat their fruits with their lips. They disbranch them off the stems in a wonderful and eat them with their lips.

The chimpanzees leave above the ground, in the tree branches. They are also terrestrial during the day. During the night they climb up in the trees where they rest after a tiresome day.

They walk on the ground with all their limbs; this makes them quadruped in nature. They walk with their fingers half-flexed to support their great weight. They also walk erect, but this doesn’t last for long. They walk short distances using their hind limbs; legs.

They are swift climbers. They use their hands and long toes to attach on the trees. This makes them first climbers. They go up in the trees where they build their nests and line them with twigs.

The chimpanzees have no particular breeding season in the year. The female give birth every four to five years.

What do chimpanzees feed on?

The chimpanzees are day light creatures (diurnal). They start at sunrise to look for food. The diet for the chimpanzees consists of about 80 diverse plant foods. The chimpanzees’ feed on fruits in the morning. The fruits are the main meal for the chimpanzee community. The chimpanzees are however, a choosy type when it comes to the fruits they eat; they only look for the ripest fruits from the trees in kyambura gorge area.

They also feed on the leaves, buds, seeds, flowers and blossoms during the rainy season. These animals are really more like humans just that they feed on fresh meat. Meat is the supplement to the main course; fruits. They are spotted to kill smaller monkeys and also flamingo birds along nyamunuka Crater Lake. They also hunt for prey. like young antelopes and goats from the nearby communities.

What should you know before embarking on chimpanzee tracking?

  • No entering the forest when you are sick. For the love of nature and conservation of wildlife, you should not do this activity while sick. Chimpanzees are easy to get human diseases.
  • Do not leave the litter in the park. The chimpanzees might eat on the polythene bags and get complications which can lead to their deaths. So, it’s good to be careful not to litter in the park, for nature conservation.
  • Do not urinate in the park as this might put a change on a particular eco system. And if it is defecating, move away from the trail. After, burry your waste under the ground about 30cm deep along with the toilet paper.
  • Remember to keep quiet in the forest. The noise can scare away animals like chimpanzees. Keep this in mind that, “make noise and see no more”, it will help you remember to keep quiet.
  • Don’t mimic the chimpanzees; you may not know what their sign language mean and it can get you in real trouble.
  • You should not eat close to the chimpanzees. They can attack you for your fruit or any other food. Do not try to even feed wild animals according to the park rules.
  • It’s not good to use flashy photography. The light and noise from the camera shatter, can scare away the chimpanzees. They can also think that you are an enemy and attack you.

Other primates found in Queen Elizabeth national park

Kyambura gorge is called the dramatic gorge because it has a lot of primates like the red tailed monkeys; you know monkeys are really funny to watch as they make quick movements in the trees.

Kyambura gorge has baboons, black and white colubus monkeys, and the vervet monkeys among others. It’s suitable for its nick names like, valley of apes, dramatic valley, among others because of these funny and interesting primate communities.

Where can you reside when you visit kyambura gorge?

The accommodation is like a sure deal when one visits kyambura gorge; they are scattered in the entire park (Queen Elizabeth national park). They range from budget to luxury safari loges and camps; some near the gorge and others located within the park. They include mweya safari logde, katara lodge, king fisher camp, kyambura gorge safari lodge, jacana safari lodge and many others. Therefore accommodation cannot make you miss the golden chance to visit the glorious kyambura gorge for chimpanzee tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park.

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