I was beaten by a chimp
May 10, 2004
BUNYORO region is known to be a good habitat for chimpanzees. These have become numerous in the region to the extent of being a menace to human life. In Kitoba sub-county, it is estimated that there are about 88 chimps.
By William Rwebembera
BUNYORO region is known to be a good habitat for chimpanzees. These have become numerous in the region to the extent of being a menace to human life. In Kitoba sub-county, it is estimated that there are about 88 chimps.
“We have not carried out a chimp census for the whole district, but the fact remains, they are many in the sub-counties of Kabwoya, Kyangwali, Kyabigambere Bugembe Kitoba and Buseruka,†says William Mwesigye, assistant warden in charge of Kabyoya and Kaiso-Tonya wild life areas and Hoima district.
For Rymond Tumusiime of Dwoli-Bwendero Kitoba sub-county in Hoima, it was disastrous on April 22 morning when he was attacked by one huge chimp.
“I was busy digging and when I looked up, I saw two young chimps in front of me. a moment later, I felt somebody grabbing my neck. In a moment I was pushed down, only to realise I was in the hands of a chimpanzee,†narrates Tumusiime, 17. He shouted for help from his brother Friday who was also in a nearby field.
“When I arrived, it put us all down and we were helpless until our father (Donozio Kato) came. He cut it in the stomach and it turned on us all,†Friday says.
The chimp gave up after realising that she was hurt beyond strength and the intestines were already out. The two boys were rushed to Hoima Hospital for treatment.
Fred Mbogo, medical superintendent Hoima says there are very few people who come to the hospital for treatment, although a lot of incidents occur.
In 2003 a similar incident happened in Kitoba when a chimp grabbed and slit the mouth of Fred Agaba, a student of Karongo Progressive Secondary School.
Meanwhile, in Paacwa, Kibaale district, a chimp hurt a man and he was admitted to Hoima referral Hospital, while in Kyakatebe, Kiryanga sub-county, chimps drink alcohol and get messy.
Chimps in Kitoba have increased in number to the extent of becoming troublesome to the community. They destroy crops like cocoa, sugarcanes and tobacco.
“They also eat our chicken which stray away from the home,†says Erineriko Wiryara, a resident of Kiizi LC 1.
According to Wiryara, chimps at times establish their settlements around people’s homes.
“If the settlement is around your garden or well, you can’t go there because they chase you, especially if there are mothers,†he says.
Some residents say the chimps play in roads, blocking human activities especially in the evenings.
However, Mwesigye dismisses the allegation saying chimps are very calm animals which just go away on sighting a person and are only dangerous if disturbed.
“Chimps are running up and down because their forests have been cut down,†he says.
The district forest department failed to disclose the level of encroachment on the forests. “It is true that they have cleared the forests, but the exact level can not be told,†said an officer.
Chimps make nests every night in trees in a bid to see an enemy from a distance. Thus, because of intense deforestation, these chimps have resorted to sleeping in trees around the homes.
Because of the danger they pose to the local community, residents have become hostile to these chimps.
They are hunting them down. Tumusiime reveals that there were some people chasing the chimp that tried to strangle him. Even Agaba’s mouth was slit in a hunt, after he shot it down.
Some sources say that there are tycoons who sponsor the hunts. They take advantage of the chimps, which are not in gazetted forest reserves and are free of poaching restrictions.
“They buy young chimps. That is why whenever they are hunting, they target mother with young one,†said a source. The buyers are said to be exporters who use Lake Albert to take these wild animals out.
To avoid this illegal poaching, the locals have formed Bulindi Bio Diversity Conservation Project, targeting the conservation of chimps and their habitats.
The association has already entered into a deal with Jane Goodall Institute, an international wild life NGO that deals in the conservation of chimpanzees. JGAI is to finance the activities of the association in terms of equipment training guards and technical.
Ends
BUNYORO region is known to be a good habitat for chimpanzees. These have become numerous in the region to the extent of being a menace to human life. In Kitoba sub-county, it is estimated that there are about 88 chimps.
“We have not carried out a chimp census for the whole district, but the fact remains, they are many in the sub-counties of Kabwoya, Kyangwali, Kyabigambere Bugembe Kitoba and Buseruka,†says William Mwesigye, assistant warden in charge of Kabyoya and Kaiso-Tonya wild life areas and Hoima district.
For Rymond Tumusiime of Dwoli-Bwendero Kitoba sub-county in Hoima, it was disastrous on April 22 morning when he was attacked by one huge chimp.
“I was busy digging and when I looked up, I saw two young chimps in front of me. a moment later, I felt somebody grabbing my neck. In a moment I was pushed down, only to realise I was in the hands of a chimpanzee,†narrates Tumusiime, 17. He shouted for help from his brother Friday who was also in a nearby field.
“When I arrived, it put us all down and we were helpless until our father (Donozio Kato) came. He cut it in the stomach and it turned on us all,†Friday says.
The chimp gave up after realising that she was hurt beyond strength and the intestines were already out. The two boys were rushed to Hoima Hospital for treatment.
Fred Mbogo, medical superintendent Hoima says there are very few people who come to the hospital for treatment, although a lot of incidents occur.
In 2003 a similar incident happened in Kitoba when a chimp grabbed and slit the mouth of Fred Agaba, a student of Karongo Progressive Secondary School.
Meanwhile, in Paacwa, Kibaale district, a chimp hurt a man and he was admitted to Hoima referral Hospital, while in Kyakatebe, Kiryanga sub-county, chimps drink alcohol and get messy.
Chimps in Kitoba have increased in number to the extent of becoming troublesome to the community. They destroy crops like cocoa, sugarcanes and tobacco.
“They also eat our chicken which stray away from the home,†says Erineriko Wiryara, a resident of Kiizi LC 1.
According to Wiryara, chimps at times establish their settlements around people’s homes.
“If the settlement is around your garden or well, you can’t go there because they chase you, especially if there are mothers,†he says.
Some residents say the chimps play in roads, blocking human activities especially in the evenings.
However, Mwesigye dismisses the allegation saying chimps are very calm animals which just go away on sighting a person and are only dangerous if disturbed.
“Chimps are running up and down because their forests have been cut down,†he says.
The district forest department failed to disclose the level of encroachment on the forests. “It is true that they have cleared the forests, but the exact level can not be told,†said an officer.
Chimps make nests every night in trees in a bid to see an enemy from a distance. Thus, because of intense deforestation, these chimps have resorted to sleeping in trees around the homes.
Because of the danger they pose to the local community, residents have become hostile to these chimps.
They are hunting them down. Tumusiime reveals that there were some people chasing the chimp that tried to strangle him. Even Agaba’s mouth was slit in a hunt, after he shot it down.
Some sources say that there are tycoons who sponsor the hunts. They take advantage of the chimps, which are not in gazetted forest reserves and are free of poaching restrictions.
“They buy young chimps. That is why whenever they are hunting, they target mother with young one,†said a source. The buyers are said to be exporters who use Lake Albert to take these wild animals out.
To avoid this illegal poaching, the locals have formed Bulindi Bio Diversity Conservation Project, targeting the conservation of chimps and their habitats.
The association has already entered into a deal with Jane Goodall Institute, an international wild life NGO that deals in the conservation of chimpanzees. JGAI is to finance the activities of the association in terms of equipment training guards and technical.
Ends