Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are great apes that live in tropical forests and woodland savannahs across central and west Africa. The Eastern chimpanzee (P.t. schweinfurthii / common chimpanzee) is the only subspecies that occurs in Uganda. Other countries where it occurs include Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Uganda’s chimpanzees have also been well studied, with long-term research in Budongo Forest Reserve (1960–61 and 1991–present), Kibale National Park at Kanyawara (1982–present) and Ngogo (1992–present), in Kalinzu Forest Reserve (1995–present), and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (1995–2001). These studies have focused on the ecology and behaviour of chimpanzees in their respective environments.
Uganda is home to a sizeable population of common chimpanzees with an estimate of about 5,000 individuals according to the IUCN Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan 2010–2020.
The four largest populations are in Kibale and the Rwenzori Mountains National Parks and Budongo and Bugoma Forest Reserves (each having more than 500 individuals). Kibale National Park alone contains about 25% of Uganda’s chimpanzees.
The chimp populations in Maramagambo, Kalinzu and Kasyoha-Kitomi forests are less than 500 individuals in each forest. Still, these three reserves are interconnected and form a single population, numbering around 900 chimpanzees.
The common Chimpanzee is a distinctive black-coated ape that’s more closely related to man than any other living creature, sharing 98.7 per cent of our genetic blueprint. Science research also strongly suggests we share a common ancestor.
A chimp has long arms with opposable thumbs; hair colour brown to black; adults similar in size to adolescent humans. At standing height, a male chimp grows up to 1.2 m (4 ft.) and weighs 60 kg (132 lbs.), and a female grows up to 1.1 m (3.5 ft.) and weighs 47 kg (103.6 lbs.).
Social Structure of Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees live in a large, loosely bonded ‘community’ (called a band or troop) based around a core of related males with an internal hierarchy topped by an alpha male. Females are generally less strongly bonded to their core group than are males, which means emigration between communities is very common.
Chimpanzee troops are made up of around 15 to 80 members. Chimps sleep, travel, and feed in smaller sub-groups of up to ten individuals within their communities. These sub-groups can be very flexible, with members changing quickly and regularly.
Mother-child bonds are strong. Daughters typically leave their mother only after they reach maturity, at which they may break relations between them. Mother—son relations have survived for over 40 years.
A troop has a well-defined core territory fiercely defended by regular boundary patrols.
Chimpanzees are experts at grooming and spend a lot of their time running their fingers through each other’s hair to remove dirt, pesky parasites, and dead skin. Grooming is an important activity for social bonding because it keeps them clean and helps them build friendships and strengthen bonds with each other.