Ngamba celebrates 25 years as safe haven for Chimpanzees

Dozens of people including world-renowned conservationist, Dr Jane Goodall, on Wednesday gathered at Speke Resort Munyonyo to celebrate 25 years of existence of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

According to the Executive Director, Dr Joshua Rukundo, the 25 years have transformed Ngamba into a safe haven for 53 chimpanzees.

"I have been at Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary for 14 years, and I can attest that people working with animals are special ones.  You have to be kind, feel for them (Chimps), understand them, have compassion and relate with them. What I have learnt is that animals have emotions but there's something extra special with Chimpanzees," he said.

Dr Rukundo added that since the establishment of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1998, the facility has been at the forefront of Chimpanzee Conservation efforts, providing a safe haven for orphans and

Ms Lilly Ajarova, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) said: “I have personally tried to follow your steps (Dr Jane Goodall) but I don’t think I ever catch up for what you started doing with the chimps. I also had to move on from animal welfare and joined UTB to try and promote eco-tourism and make sure that we generate revenue for the economy of the country. One thing that I have remained proud of is that the Chimpanzee Trust under my leadership was able to implement a payment for ecosystem services policy enacted into the National Environment Management Act.”

The State Minister for Tourism, Mr Martin Mugara said it was a momentous occasion to celebrate the remarkable achievements of dedicated efforts in wildlife conservation with outstanding success achieved in safeguarding precious wildlife and natural resources.

“Whereas cases of illegal activities like poaching, habitat destruction and illegal trade still persist, the government has put in place robust mechanisms including the establishment of the national wildlife coordination task force, strengthened customs and control checkpoints, enhanced interagency collaboration, and intelligence, among others to combat these," he said.

World-renowned conservationist, Dr Jane Goodall, urged all Ugandans to protect the environment, especially the forests and also protect the animals. 

“There is a need to delve into the emerging high levels of deforestation in major chimpanzee habitats caused by extensive commercial developments. We need the chimpanzees because they play a vital role in marinating the diversity of forests,” she said.