Chimp On The Loose
Feb 11, 2003
A CHIMPANZEE has escaped from a quarantine facility at the Veterinary Training Institute, Entebbe, after severely injuring its keeper.
By Gerald Tenywa
A CHIMPANZEE has escaped from a quarantine facility at the Veterinary Training Institute, Entebbe, after severely injuring its keeper.
It was one of the three chimps imported from Tanzania last August.
They were suspected to be suffering from tuberculosis and a quarantine was imposed on them for fear that they would spread the disease to other chimps and human beings.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) on Saturday dispatched a team of rangers to shoot the animal on sight. It is suspected to be around Kigungu landing site or near the Entebbe International Airport.
UWA executive director Dr. Arthur Mugisha said stakeholders in wildlife conservation had agreed that the chimp be shot because it had become a public health risk.
The remaining one will be deported to Tanzania.
“It is a disaster and all the concerned parties are doing the best to overcome the problem. I pray that it does not get out of hand,’’ Mugisha told The New Vision.
Yesterday at the Entebbe International Airport, Police officials were on the alert for the chimp.
They patrolled and combed thickets around the airport to make sure the chimp did not force its way into the airport.
Game rangers and Local Defence Unit officials were also involved in the search.
The victim is in Namirembe Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition. The chimp twisted his arm six times, persistently scratched and bit him before it disappeared.
It is alleged that the same chimp killed a person in Tanzania and the wildlife authorities condemned the trio to death before they were relocated to Uganda.
Ends
A CHIMPANZEE has escaped from a quarantine facility at the Veterinary Training Institute, Entebbe, after severely injuring its keeper.
It was one of the three chimps imported from Tanzania last August.
They were suspected to be suffering from tuberculosis and a quarantine was imposed on them for fear that they would spread the disease to other chimps and human beings.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) on Saturday dispatched a team of rangers to shoot the animal on sight. It is suspected to be around Kigungu landing site or near the Entebbe International Airport.
UWA executive director Dr. Arthur Mugisha said stakeholders in wildlife conservation had agreed that the chimp be shot because it had become a public health risk.
The remaining one will be deported to Tanzania.
“It is a disaster and all the concerned parties are doing the best to overcome the problem. I pray that it does not get out of hand,’’ Mugisha told The New Vision.
Yesterday at the Entebbe International Airport, Police officials were on the alert for the chimp.
They patrolled and combed thickets around the airport to make sure the chimp did not force its way into the airport.
Game rangers and Local Defence Unit officials were also involved in the search.
The victim is in Namirembe Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition. The chimp twisted his arm six times, persistently scratched and bit him before it disappeared.
It is alleged that the same chimp killed a person in Tanzania and the wildlife authorities condemned the trio to death before they were relocated to Uganda.
Ends