KIKUUBE-Conservationists in Bunyoro Sub-region region are worried following the increasing cases of killing chimpanzees in the area for meat.
Barbra Babwetera, the executive director Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda [CCFU] said the rate at which the primates in the area are being killed is alarming.
She said chimpanzees living in Kabwoya and Kiziranfumbi sub-counties in Kikuube district, Muhoro in Kagadi district, Kitoba and Kyabigambire sub-counties in Hoima district which are not protected by Uganda wildlife Authority [UWA], which gives locals chance to kill the animals.
The environmental conservationist said the practice of eating the meat of man’s closest relatives has seen five apes being killed this year in Kagadi and Kikuube districts, adding this is a big loss to the country’s tourism industry.
As a conservationist, losing one chimpanzee is like losing a human being. Hunting and eating chimpanzee meat is not part of Bunyoro culture. Banyoro do not eat apes because a chimpanzee is like a human being. We wonder where this habit of eating chimpanzees has come from,” she said.
She made the remarks while officiating Ekiteera [Chimpanzee] Cup final which took place at Kikonda Primary School in Kabwoya Sub-county last week. The football competition is one of the ways CCFU uses to sensitise communities on the importance of protecting forests and chimpanzees.
She said the continued depletion of forest reserves such as Bugoma and Budongo, wildlife such as chimpanzees end up seeking refuge in private forests, resulting in conflicts between the communities and apes.
She noted that such challenges call for different stakeholders to double effort in sensitising the public to embrace conservation, planting more forests, and teaching them how to co-exist with the apes.
Francis Twesige Mukoto, the LCIII chairperson Kabwoya Subcounty commended CCFU for its efforts to conserve the forests and chimpanzees, noting that human activities are to blame for the loss of habitats for chimpanzees.
He noted that several people in the area have lost several plantations of cocoa, sugarcane, and Jackfruits to chimpanzees seeking food out of their habitats that have been destroyed by the locals.
Francis Abitekaniza Kiva, the assistant chief administrative officer Kikuube district also commended CCFU for its campaigns to protect the environment, noting that government institutions, citizens, and conservationists need to come together to protect the ecosystem.
https://thecooperator.news/saving-chimpanzees-govt-urged-to-be-strict-on-conserving-forests/
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