Track chimps
in the forest
A malechimpanzeerelaxes
in thebranchesof a tree.
Communitiesbuildfresh
neststo sleepin eachnight,
neverreturningto thesame
onetwice.“Theyareclean,
theydonotreusetheir
bedsheets,”saysguide
GeraldKiriyingi“WEREYOUGREETEDNICELYBYOUR
receptionists?”asksGeraldKiriyingi,rifleslung
overhisshoulder,feetingreenwellies.Heis
referringtothebaboonsthatsitattheentrance
toKibaleForestNationalPark,waitingfor
anopportunitytojumpintoacartostealfood.
Thebaboonsarenotwhymostpeopleare
here,though.Knownas‘primatecapitalofthe
world’,Kibaleishometo 13 species,including
thestarattraction–andman’sclosestrelative–
chimpanzees.Thereare1,450intheforestand,
with 28 years’chimp-trackingunderhisbelt,
Geraldisthemantohelpusfindthem.
“Icannotguaranteeweseethechimps,”
hesays,aswestartdownanarrowtrackinthe
dimdawnlight,enormouspalmfrondspressing
inoneitherside.“Iwouldsaythereisa 90 per
centchance,butyoucannotcontrolnature.”
Wepushthroughthejungle,clamberingover
treetrunks,twistingaroundstranglervines,
walkingfacefirstintoenormousspiderwebs,
andwadingthroughwater-filledcratersleft
bythefeetofpassingelephants.Thecalls
ofblack-billedturaco,tambourinedovesand
piedhornbillsareaconstantaccompaniment,
joined by sudden crashes as colobus and
red-tailed monkeys swing through the canopy
above. Several hours’ clammy marching induces
a zen-like focus, and I have almost forgotten why
I’m there when we first hear the screaming.
It echoes through the forest for a few seconds,
then falls silent. The sense of urgency increases
and our pace picks up. Gerald stops to listen
every so often, changing tack when the shriek
starts up from a different direction. After
15 minutes, we see it: a dark shape moving
swiftly through the undergrowth. We set off
in pursuit, flailing clumsily through the forest,
but quickly lose it. Soon, however, we find some
of its community. Two young animals chase
each other in the branches far above our heads.
A female rifles through the leaves looking
for fruit, and a large male stares down at me
staring up at him, and grunts. He decides
the show’s over, and the family moves off.
“So, this is chimp-tracking,” says Gerald with
a smile. “Sometimes you come across them and
spend ages with them. Today, I don’t know,
so you may as well get comfortable in the forest.”
Not to be defeated, we plough on, Gerald
regaling me with tales of simian encounters.
“One time, I saw a chimp swing a colobus
monkey round and round, and then throw him
away,” he says. “He was too dizzy to defend
himself when the other chimps attacked him.
They pulled him apart and ate his stomach first.”
It’smid-afternoonwhenwecatchupwith
asecondcommunity,agroupof 30 orsomales.
Thisoneisfullyhabituatedtohumans,and
isalmostentirelyindifferenttoourpresence.
Onelollsinthecrookofatree,anothertwo
sitgroomingeachother.Amassivechimp,
35 yearsold,scratchesitselfallover,andeats
whatitfindsinitsnails.Occasionally,an‘ooh
oohooh’startsup,andallbeginshrieking
andscreaming,bouncingupanddown
inashowofstrength.
“Chimpshavetheirownlanguage,”
saysGerald.“Researchershaveidentified
52 differentcalls,butonlyknowthemeaning
oftwoorthree.”Wewatchachimpslamhis
handdownhardandmakeashortlowbellow.
“Wethinkthisonemeans‘wego,wego,wego’.”
Rightoncue,thecommunitygetsup
andstalksoff,theirblackfurswallowed
bythetangledgreenoftheforest.Theywon’t
stopmovingnowuntilthey’veeatenand
builtnestsforthenight.Weleavethemtoit,
andmakeourownwayoutoftheforest.
(www.kibaleforestnationalpark.com;
park entry: ` 2,750; http://www.ugandawildlife.org;
tracking permit: ` 10,200; Gerald also runs
cultural tours (www.tooroculturalcentre@
gmail.com)THE WINTER LIST UGANDA
88 May 2019