Ngamba chimp haven appeals for help to feed animals

In the wake of the continued lockdown, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary has joined the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) in appealing for public support to sustain the conservation facility.

Ngamba, which is part of the Koome group of islands on Lake Victoria and relies 10 per cent on tourists for its existence, is home to 50 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees.

Under ‘Feeding the Chimps Campaign’, the 22-year-old sanctuary, that occupies 100 acres is appealing to the public to help support the feeding and care of the chimpanzees with both fresh foods and cereals and games for the isolated staff.
At the announcement of Covid-19 in February, the management planned for a shut-down of the sanctuary and put in place measures to help sustain operations for about six months.
However, management says they did not expect that this would become a pandemic and force total lockdown.
“It has taken us by surprise and we find our planning inadequate. The chimpanzees feed on about 2,625 kilogrammes of fruits and vegetables every month, supplied now every 10 days,”Dr Joshua Rukundo, the executive director of the sanctuary, revealed on Thursday.
He added that previously, the sanctuary had supplies every five days but have lengthened this to every 10 days to reduce the movements to the island.
The chimpanzees also need about 500kgs of posho and millet in equal measure as well as another 50kgs of soy, every month.
Meanwhile, UWEC’s director James Musinguzi has also requested for donations to feed primates, reptiles, hoof stocks, carnivores and birds.
For a 10-day feeding cycle, chimpanzees feed on 100kgs of oranges, costing Shs200,000, 100kgs of sweet potatoes at Shs180,000, 50kgs of tomatoes at Shs150,000.
They also need 80kgs of avocado which cost Shs120,000, 80kgs of pawpaw at Shs120, 000, 70kgs of cabbages, 50 pineapples and 100kgs of jackfruit all costing Shs100,000.
The island is also faced with flooding following rising water levels of Lake Victoria, up to over 1.5 metres since the rains started early this year.
“The landing pier has been submerged and we are using a temporary wooden, raft-like pier atop the submerged one. We have procured over 4,000 bags and filled them with sand and lined our shores to reduce the soil erosion that would eventually undermine the structures and compromise their integrity and safety for use,” Dr Rukundo further explains.
On a daily basis, sanctuary workers have to lay more bags or relocate others to keep the water out of some of the buildings and reduce the damage that may be caused by strong waves during occasional storms.