Mawa, Ngamba’s mischievous chimpanzee

Mawa stands out of the crowd of chimps at Ngamba Island sanctuary. His escapades have forced the environment around him to change and not the other way round.

“Mawa is a Lugbara word meaning ‘one who has faced many problems’ and since he was found with wounds wrought from a rope that was around his waist, it was a fitting name,” Ms Ajarova further explains.

The most famous Ugandan chimpanzee is arguably Natasha, also an inhabitant of Ngamba Island. A group of scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Germany declared earlier this year that they believed the 22-year-old Natasha is the smartest chimpanzee in the world.

Seeing the trouble the sanctuary goes to in containing Mawa, one would think maybe this here is another candidate for smartest chimp. “He is usually curious and always looking out for any weak points on the holding facility where he can utilise the chance to escape. He always thanks the staff if they ever make a mistake that enables him to escape,” the director notes.

Already, CSWCT is thinking of changing the fixtures so that in future, Mawa and any other chimpanzees as creative as he, do not escape. In effect, he is making his human minders think harder.

The chimpanzee has friends. He plays with Asega, a 12-year-old who also originally comes from the DRC. The two like grooming each other. Mawa also plays with and falls and rolls with Mika, the Alpha Male. This is a strategic friendship because he can count on Mika for protection when the food fights start.

stendo@ug.nationmedia.com