I woke up in Kibale Lodge to the chirps of birds like Ross’s turaco, then came the roosters and noises from the nearby village coming alive. The final sound was from my butler, who reminded me that I had a chimpanzee trek in just a few hours.
After breakfast, Kiwanuka drove me and another traveler to Kibale National Park. As we made our way through the forest, we searched the canopies for red and black-and-white colobus monkeys. We stopped on the road while waiting for a troop of baboons to cross.
Finally, we arrived at the trailhead for chimpanzee trekking. Here, I met Bosco Bwambale, our ranger with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
He was with three other trackers, and before heading deeper into the forest, Bwambale gave a briefing on what to expect during the chimp trek.
We would hike into the forest, where another set of trackers had sights on the Kanyantale chimp community. Once we found the chimpanzees, we would put on face masks and observe them for an hour. Then, we would hike out.
We headed into the dense forest, where we followed elephant tracks and listened to radio calls from the trackers.
Bwambale, who has been a ranger for nearly two decades, saw the chimpanzees long before I did. They were in the branches above us, and after a few moments, they let out screams.
Bwambale explained that the shrieks were notifying others that they had found food, and that it was lunchtime.
As we got closer, I saw them on the move — jumping from branch to branch, sliding down thick vines, and moving on the ground.
Finally, they settled down in one area, where I watched them groom one another, eat, and explore.
Read the full article here
