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Project Noah Nature School
Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii
Chimpanzees, sometimes colloquially chimps, are two extant hominid species of apes in the genus Pan. There is a wonderful story connected to seeing these Chimps. I had been told repeatedly that I wouldn't be able to go Chimp tracking because of my ankle, so I opted for a nature walk in the Kibale Forest. Towards the end of the walk we heard Chimp calls and pretty soon a whole family of chimps came out of the bush onto the path right in front of me. One sat down and groomed itself a meter from where I was standing. After going down the path for a while ( followed by me!) they went back into the forest on the opposite side. Then out of the forest came a dozen or so chimp trackers!
The chimpanzee will spend time both in trees and on the ground, but will usually sleep in a tree where it will build a nest for the night out of leaves and folded branches.
The 2007 IUCN Red List classified them as Endangered. Recent declines in East Africa are expected to continue due to hunting and loss of habitat. Also, because chimpanzees and humans are so physiologically similar, chimpanzees succumb to many diseases that afflict humans. If not properly managed, research and tourism also presents a risk of disease transmission between humans and chimpanzees.
Spotted on Jul 12, 2014
Submitted on Sep 1, 2014
6 Comments
Dan, I loved all the monkeys in Uganda. 13 Species I think, and I saw most of the diurnal ones. Some were difficult to photograph though. It's dark in some of the forests!
Beautiful spotting pam!Consider adding this spotting to mission http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/7376... :)
thanks Neil... Yes, missed Cape Town this time... wrong season, too cold for butterflies!!
Wonderful Pam!
Great spotting pam! I didn't go chimp tracking in Kibale, as I spotted them in other places in Uganda, but I did spend a while at the park and wasn't as lucky as you to have them come to me!
Oh Pam, this is magnificent. Great story, and wonderful photos. I've never seen wild chimps, but perhaps one day I will (if I should ever find my wanderlust). Australia, Southern and East Africa that speaks to my heart and soul the way that no other places can. There's something very real, honest, and humbling about them. I don't need people, just nature... although I'd skip back to Cape Town in a heart beat. I hope you get down there some day soon.