Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Conservation Trust unveiled Diana Museveni as the new patron of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary replacing her mother the First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni who has led the sanctuary since initiation.
This was during the commemoration of World Chimpanzee Day on Sunday 14th July at Ngamba Island which was attended by members of the general public including tourism stakeholders, and media persons among others who boarded from Entebbe via Lake Victoria to the sanctuary.
After her installation as a patron, Diana Museveni expressed total commitment to work with the leadership of Ngamba Island to conserve the chimpanzees and ensure that they avert the declining numbers of chimpanzees in Uganda and the world at large.
The first daughter also called for collective efforts among the public to conserve world life and ensure that their habitats are protected from encroachers and fight illegal poaching of wildlife.
“Wildlife attracts several tourists and contributes much to the country’s GDP, therefore let’s all have a patriotic spirit while protecting the environment and ecosystem,” she said.
During the same event, a new brand logo of Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Conservation Trust was also commissioned aiming at raising awareness among the public to defend wildlife, especially endangered chimpanzees.
However, the Ngamba leaders are concerned over the declining numbers of chimpanzees in Uganda attributing it to several factors associated with human activities.
According to Dr Joshua Rukundo the Executive Director of Ngamba Island, many programs have been put in place including the conservation program that involves the restoration of chimpanzee habitat because much as the sanctuary is set up, they believe that the chimpanzees should be living in their national habitat.
“We are going to start the conservation program to be able to restore habitat, work with the communities that are close to the chimpanzees’ habitats to ensure that there is a better understanding of chimpanzees as the species and why we do what we do to protect them,” he added.
Rukundo also remarked that the other program that is being held is the education and awareness program which is mainly designed for young pupils and students between the ages of 12 – 18 years as a result of making awareness on wildlife conservation in the public.
Dr. James Musinguzi the chairperson Board of Chimpanzee Trust appreciated the sanctuary staff for the great work well done as well as pledged continuous support as the board in harmony with the parton to make sure that the sanctuary flourishes.
Ngamba Island is currently home to 54 orphaned and rescued chimps who are free to roam on the island and interact with each other in the natural setting of a 95-acre naturally regenerated forest. The chimpanzee residents have been rescued from various situations including attempted export for per trade, poaching and killing of their mothers for various reasons, illegal possession, and mistreatment often including invasive research and testing of pharmaceutical products.
At the sanctuary, they provided a safe haven for recovery and a permanent home. Visitors to the sanctuary can observe the chimpanzees from a viewing platform, take part in feeding sessions, and even participate in behind-the-scenes activities such as preparing food and cleaning the enclosures.
About The Author
