Joseph Masereka 29 is no ordinary animal keeper. 

At Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary, in Mukono district where he has worked for eight years, his strong bond with the chimps is startling. 

They communicate with him when they are angry, hungry, excited and bored. 

Easy in the clinic with Masereka and a veterinary doctor. Courtesy photo

He also adopted a baby chimp that was born lame and wounded. For two years, he warmed it, fed and pampered it. 

Easy is born 

There are 52 chimps; 32 females and 29 males at the sanctuary. 

The forest spans 100 acres and this is supposed to accommodate only three chimps under normal circumstances. 

And as such, all females are on contraception to prevent them from reproducing. 

Masereka's bond with the chimps is startling. Photo by Ritah Mukasa

In addition, the sanctuary is mandated to look after only rescued chimps. 

However, the animals sometimes displace the Norplant while playing, fighting or scratching themselves.

This happened to Africa. She displaced her implant and conceived. The keepers were not privy of her pregnancy.

One morning in March 2015, the keepers woke up to a big surprise in the holding facility where the animals sleep.

A baby had been born but it was crying uncontrollably. An adult female (Connie) was holding it. 

Its arm had been severally fractured and covered in deep wounds.

They named it Easy.

On how they established who its mother was, Masereka says, they found Africa lying down pleading with Connie to hand over her baby. 

She also had signs of bleeding confirming that she had given birth. However, she was a low-ranking chimp and couldn’t fight Connie, her superior. 

“Chimps have a hierarchy. The high-ranking ones are highly respected and this is earned by trust, care for others and being responsible,” he explains. 

The sanctuary has five high-ranking females. They took the baby away from Africa because they judged that she did not deserve it.

Back to the baby, Masereka says, Connie also clung to the baby because she is a kind mother. She had even adopted orphaned chimps before. 

“We found her cleaning Easy and soothing her but Africa thought Connie was hurting the baby,” he says.

However, removing the baby from the females was not a walk in the park. 

The veterinary doctor had to sedate Connie and Africa first. After, they put a cast on the broken hand and stitched the wounds.

“I offered to nurse Easy. But I was barred from getting in contact with other chimps to avoid infections,” Masereka recollects.

Easy was put on formula. He also got diapers and all necessities a human baby needs like sheets, blankets and a basin. Masereka would bathe, feed and warm the baby. 

“I also gave him kangaroo care and for two years, he slept in my room because I had to feed him at night,” he says.

Please note that humans are not allowed to have close contact with chimps except the caregivers and veterinarians at the sanctuary.

“My love for Easy kept blossoming. One night I cried in a dream. I saw Easy being taken away. On snapping awake I found him in my chest sucking my thumb,” he narrates.

“I had overslept and he was trying to wake me up to feed him,” he says.

Masereka says, when Easy turned two, he put him out of his room but in the morning, he would find him on his bed.

“He became clingy and would scream whenever I left him behind. He refused other keepers to change his diapers or feed him,” he says.

Masereka saw Easy heal and grow.

After, they started the process of integrating him into the forest.

They gave priority to Africa to raise her son but she rejected him fearing being attacked by her superiors. Connie adopted him.

Unfortunately, Easy struggled to fit in with other chimps because he was used to humans. He would scream whenever he saw chimps. 

This took a year.

After he was taken to an enclosure (a small part of the forest). Here, he learnt to climb trees, play and feed.

“Integration is a process. We don’t introduce rescued chimps direct to the forest,” he explains.

Maseruka is still close to Easy. Whenever he sees him, he sucks his thumb while communicating with him.

Meanwhile, Ngamba Island sanctuary was opened in 1998 with 19 rescued orphaned chimps. 

It is run by Chimpanzee sanctuary and wildlife conservation trust (Chimpanzee Trust), a Non-Governmental Organization.