Chimpanzees and people are clashing in rural Uganda

Chimpanzees and people are clashing in rural Uganda

Forest clearing has forced hungry chimps to raid villagers’ crops. At times, chimps kill children, and villagers kill chimps.

Can you imagine having such a close cousin that you share more than 98% of your DNA with him and yet the two lives are completely different? So are chimpanzees compared to humans: close relatives, separated by evolution, but still very connected. If you have ever encountered viral videos of chimpanzees embracing their caregivers, showing emotions or solving complex problems, you know that these animals are much more than simple naughty monkeys. …

Could Budongo Forest be ground zero for next global pandemic?

Aliyo Sarile weeds his tobacco garden near Budongo Forest in Uganda’s Masindi district. Aliyo says chimpanzees and baboons frequently enter his farm, raising fears of disease transmission. Experts warn that closer contact between humans and primates — driven by forest loss and resource overlap — creates ideal conditions for a viral spillover. PHOTOS Nakisanze Segawa, GPJ Uganda Tobacco farming in Uganda has resulted in the loss of trees key to t…

Could Uganda’s Budongo Forest Be Ground Zero For The Next Global Pandemic? - The Bulrushes

Masindi – Less than half a kilometre from Aliyo Sarile’s tobacco farm, the wild frontier of Budongo Forest in Uganda rises, a wall of emerald canopy and untamed vegetation marking a boundary. Each dawn, Aliyo wakes to nature’s orchestra: birds chirping, chimpanzees hooting through the trees, and baboons barking commands – a soundtrack that registers as neither nuisance nor entertainment in his daily life. But the forest’s balance has shifted. Ch…