Dr. Jane Goodall, a renowned ethologist and conservationist, is slated to return to Uganda this August, as Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary climaxes its celebration of 25 years of sheltering orphaned chimpanzees.

The 89-year-old English Ethologist last visited Uganda in 2018 when the sanctuary marked its 20th anniversary.

Under her organisation, the Jane Goodall Institute, she was pivotal in establishing the facility and continues to be among the key funders for the well-being of chimpanzees on  Ngamba island.

The island of some 100 acres (40 hectares) of rainforest is situated on Lake Victoria.

British behavioral scientist Dr Jane Goodall stands after a press conference in the Press Club on Marienplatz, Germany on May 2, 2023

Goodall's return to Uganda was announced Friday by Dr. Joshua Rukundo, the executive director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), which manages Ngamba Island.

The revelation came during the celebration of World Chimpanzee Day, marked every July 14.

The annual celebration is held to pay tribute to Goodall's contribution to research on chimpanzees. She first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study its chimpanzees in 1960.

With some six decades of studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees under her belt, Goodall is considered the world's foremost expert on the great ape species.

Next month, she is scheduled to conduct a public lecture on August 22 at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala.

The staff of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary welcoming Dr Jane Goodall during her visit in 2018, the last time she was in Uganda, when the animal sanctuary was celebrating 20 years of existence. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

The following day, she will attend a gala dinner to celebrate the existence of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, before visiting the island on August 24.

Chimpanzee Day

A trip that would ordinarily cost $365 (sh1.3m) was made free of charge for every person that visited Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary on this year's World Chimpanzee Day.

Lying approximately 23 kilometres from Entebbe municipality, Ngamba island is home to 53 chimpanzees, most of which were rescued from different parts of Uganda as a result of human-wildlife conflict.

The forested piece of land is part of the Koome archipelago in Mukono district.

Hundreds of people turned up for this year's celebration of human's closest cousins, the chimpanzees.

Over 150 members of the general public, tourism and conservation stakeholders are seen boarding MV NODL destined for Ngamba island for the World Chimpanzee Day 2023 (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

Several school children, media persons, tour operators and other members of the general public participated in a range of activities and games while on the island on Friday.

This, according to CSWCT ED Rukundo, was aimed at raising more public awareness on the importance of conservation and coexistence between humans and chimpanzees.

Stephen Masaba, the director for tourism and business development at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), said there are 5,000 chimpanzees estimated to be remaining in Uganda.

People viewing chimpanzees feeding at Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary during the celebration of World Chimpanzee Day 2023 (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

He cautioned the general public against encroachment on the chimpanzee habitat, saying it is the major cause of human-wildlife conflicts.