By Edward Byamukama
Residents of Nyamasa Parish in Bwikara Sub- County were left in shock on Thursday after hunters reportedly killed a female chimpanzee, triggering a swift response from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
According to Kuteesa Swelley Kadoma, Director of Friends of Chimpanzee Family, the hunters, believed to be from Kitehe, tracked and killed the chimpanzee in a nearby forest.
He said the animal, which had been living in Katyoboona Forest, was at a reproductive stage and likely searching for a mating partner.
Chimpanzees are a protected species under Ugandan wildlife laws due to their endangered status and ecological importance.
UWA officers responded after receiving reports of the illegal hunt.
During the operation, two hunting dogs allegedly used in the incident were shot dead, but the suspected hunters fled the scene.
Julius Bidyabagaruka, a Conservation Education Officer at UWA, described the killing of protected wildlife as a serious criminal offense punishable by law.
He reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to protecting Uganda’s biodiversity.
UWA later held a meeting with local residents to discuss lasting solutions, noting that the government is in the process of gazetting Katyoboona Forest Reserve.
However, some residents expressed concern over increasing encounters with chimpanzees, claiming the animals have killed children and destroyed crops thereby calling on the government to either relocate the chimpanzees or fence off the forest area.
By press time, a team of UWA medical officers had taken the chimpanzee’s body for a postmortem examination.
