Chimps to China
Jan 21, 2004
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities is to export three chimpanzees to China by March 2004. The proposal could lead to fears that Uganda’s name as a protector of great apes could be tarnished with a consequent loss of tourism and donor funding.
By Charles Wendo and Gerald Tenywa
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities is to export three chimpanzees to China by March 2004. The proposal could lead to fears that Uganda’s name as a protector of great apes could be tarnished with a consequent loss of tourism and donor funding.
Wildlife sources said a committee set up by the ministry on Friday sat at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and endorsed the project. The chimps would be obtained from the Ngamba Island sanctuary by the third week of February 2004. The Island is a popular tourist destination.
The committee members include Justus Tindigarukayo, head of the ministry’s wildlife department; Dr. Arthur Mugisha, executive director of UWA and Beti Kamya, executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).
The chimps would be shipped to Changshaa Zoo in central Hunan province, where the chimps would be kept in tiny cages as opposed to the forest which chimps enjoy on Ngamba Island.
Wildlife conservation groups are concerned that chimps are endangered animals and would be mistreated in China. The chimp population in Uganda has reduced from 100,000 in 1900 to 5,000 today.
They said it was unnecessary to take wild chimps to zoos since many chimps bred in captivity were available.
The executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda office, Debbie Cox, said Uganda was recently elected to represent Africa on the UN Great Ape Survival Project. The chimp export could jeopardise this prestigious appointment.
Dr. Andrew Plumptre of the Wildlife Conservation Society said the project would reflect negatively on Uganda and was uncalled for especially at a time when President Yoweri Museveni had just marketed the country through a documentary on Discovery Channel.
“Such moves have in the past drawn heavy criticism and that could attract negative publicity for Uganda. This could potentially impact on all the things that Museveni is trying to do to promote tourism in Uganda,†Plumptre said.
Tindigarukayo said the chimp committee had not yet sealed a deal. If the chimps were sent to China, he said, the committee would ensure that they did not suffer harassment. “We are working in the interests of Ugandans and the welfare of the chimps,†he said.
It is not clear what Uganda would get in return for the chimps. Tindigarukayo denied reports that the chimps would be exchanged for three salt water dolphins.
Instead, he said, it would simply be a donation to strengthen ties with China.
Kamya defended the chimp export project but said animal rights activists should raise their concerns with the committee.
“If their concerns are genuine then they will be considered.
As long as we are not undermining the conservation of the animals, their welfare and the laws, there is no problem with taking the animals to China,†he added.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities is to export three chimpanzees to China by March 2004. The proposal could lead to fears that Uganda’s name as a protector of great apes could be tarnished with a consequent loss of tourism and donor funding.
Wildlife sources said a committee set up by the ministry on Friday sat at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and endorsed the project. The chimps would be obtained from the Ngamba Island sanctuary by the third week of February 2004. The Island is a popular tourist destination.
The committee members include Justus Tindigarukayo, head of the ministry’s wildlife department; Dr. Arthur Mugisha, executive director of UWA and Beti Kamya, executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).
The chimps would be shipped to Changshaa Zoo in central Hunan province, where the chimps would be kept in tiny cages as opposed to the forest which chimps enjoy on Ngamba Island.
Wildlife conservation groups are concerned that chimps are endangered animals and would be mistreated in China. The chimp population in Uganda has reduced from 100,000 in 1900 to 5,000 today.
They said it was unnecessary to take wild chimps to zoos since many chimps bred in captivity were available.
The executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda office, Debbie Cox, said Uganda was recently elected to represent Africa on the UN Great Ape Survival Project. The chimp export could jeopardise this prestigious appointment.
Dr. Andrew Plumptre of the Wildlife Conservation Society said the project would reflect negatively on Uganda and was uncalled for especially at a time when President Yoweri Museveni had just marketed the country through a documentary on Discovery Channel.
“Such moves have in the past drawn heavy criticism and that could attract negative publicity for Uganda. This could potentially impact on all the things that Museveni is trying to do to promote tourism in Uganda,†Plumptre said.
Tindigarukayo said the chimp committee had not yet sealed a deal. If the chimps were sent to China, he said, the committee would ensure that they did not suffer harassment. “We are working in the interests of Ugandans and the welfare of the chimps,†he said.
It is not clear what Uganda would get in return for the chimps. Tindigarukayo denied reports that the chimps would be exchanged for three salt water dolphins.
Instead, he said, it would simply be a donation to strengthen ties with China.
Kamya defended the chimp export project but said animal rights activists should raise their concerns with the committee.
“If their concerns are genuine then they will be considered.
As long as we are not undermining the conservation of the animals, their welfare and the laws, there is no problem with taking the animals to China,†he added.