Off to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary!

Hi Everyone! Sorry there has been so much space between blog entries again, there is very limited internet on the island so I may not be able to post as often. Saturday night we did not end up going out in Kampala but stayed in Entebbe as I was to leave on the 9:00 am boat the next morning. I had a great last night with Jacque and Beth, and the other local I have gotten to know. The next morning I packed my things and headed off on the boat to Ngamba. Lake Victoria was sparkling and it was a beautiful morning. I felt like I was exploding with excitement inside. The actual trip only took about 40 minutes, not very long. I could see Ngamba in the distance, it appeared larger than I thought and the majority of it was a dense, green jungle. The staff appeared on the boat dock and were very welcoming. They directed me and the other visitors off to the visitor's centre where they did a presentation about the island's projects and the chimpanzees. The staff then each introduces themselves in turn to me and they were all very kind (it was then that I realised however that they were all men!) They showed me to my room and let me unpack...as they were directing me to the resource centre where my room was I noticed that it was right next to the chimpanzee holding facility...and there was Mack, Africa and Baron climbing ropes, doing somersaults and playing just as babies do. I had seen their photos many times before but it was quite special to see them for the first time, they were beautiful...

My room is quite nice, lots of space but I will not be there long before I am moving to the tented camp section of the island. Then we went up to the viewing platform because it was feeding time...I was in heaven as I watched 40 chimps emerge from the forest calling with pant-hoots at the top of their lungs! I could watch them forever, their behaviour is fascinating and I am hooked. The complexity of their emotions becomes very clear. Each chimp knows their name and when you call them they look up and reach out to catch a piece of fruit. Sometimes conflict ensues over the food but it is usually resolved quickly with an embrace or grooming. They all seem to be well aware of their place in the social hierarchy. It is truly amazing to watch the whole thing play out. After I unpacked I went and met more of the staff and Gerald the sanctuary manager took me for a tour of the island. One thing I really really love is that the island is designed to be completely environmentally friendly. The whole island is solar powered and there is minimum waste generated. They have compost toilets and use rainwater for washing and bathing. They compost anything organic. Gerald explained all the "green" components of the island as we went along. The veterinary clinic is nice, perfect for the island and I immediately recognised a lot of the drugs, tools etc... They have really made an effort to inform everyone on chimpanzee social behaviour and the threats to chimpanzee survival. There are signs and information boards all over the island. They get on average 8 visitors a day. I also got a tour of the tented camp...it is actually quite luxurious and I am excited to stay there! The rest of the day I talked to the staff some more and watched the chimps in the holding facility. That night I fell asleep exhausted but content to finally be living with the chimps.