Humans, Chimpanzees battle for space, food in Budongo forest
ERIC WAKABI
Budongo Central Forest reserve, located in Masindi district, Bunyoro Sub region, is among the largest forest reserves, covering over 845 square kilometers. It is famous for being home to 900 Chimpanzees that attract tourists to Masindi district.
However, as the human population increases in the forest reserve, the Chimpanzee numbers continue to dwindle as humans battle the animals for space and food resources.
In 1962, Jane Goodall, a British-American citizen started the Jane Goodall Institute to protect Budongo central forest reserve because it was home to a rare specie of Chimpanzees.
However, over the years, humans have encroached on the reserve. In many cases they have displaced the Chimpanzees, which are not willing to give up their habitat easily.
In the ensuing battle, there have been fights between the people and the Chimpanzees.
27 year-old Brian Kunyara a resident of Budongo Sub county, was attacked by a chimpanzee when he was four years old. He still lives with the scars of this attack.
Kunyara says after he was attacked by the chimpanzee, his life changed for the worse.
"Life has not been easy since the attack. I still get nightmares," Kunyara said.
Robert Atugonza, The Natural Resources and Livelihood officer at the Jane Goodall Institute, says there have been efforts to create a harmonious relationship between human and Chimpanzees in the forest reserve.
Oyiti Patrick, Tourism Forest Supervisor National Forestry Authority (NFA), revealed that Budongo central forest reserve has over 449 tree species, among which; chimpanzees live and also collect food from, therefore constant patrols are done to protect the forest from encroachers.
Eneku Mustafa, a community leader in Kapeka village, Budongo Forest, emphasizes that they are being supported by advanced technology from the NFA to crack down on illegal activities.
Uganda’s population growth rate is 3.3%, one of the highest in the world. This population explosion has put pressure on the land resource forcing people to encroach on forest reserves, displacing wild animals.
