A two-month-old baby girl has died in Kagadi after being attacked by a chimpanzee.
The deceased is identified as Aroho Ahumuza, daughter to Kunihira Kasaija of Karuswiga central cell in Muhorro town council. The child was attacked by the chimpanzee on Monday evening as she was being carried by the mother.
The mother was going to harvest cassava while carrying the child when the chimpanzee emerged from the nearby bush and snatched the child from the mother.
According to Kasaija, the deceased’s father, the chimpanzee disappeared with the child in the nearby bush. The child’s mother sounded an alarm which attracted area residents who came and started pursuing the chimpanzee.
The residents later discovered the child had been dumped by the chimpanzee in the nearby bush after it had inflicted severe injuries on the child. She was injured on the head, mouth and chest.
Kasaija says the child was rushed to Kagadi community health center for medical attention but she was pronounced dead a few hours later. He has appealed to Uganda Wildlife Authority to intervene and have the chimpanzees relocated immediately. He is also demanding for compensation from UWA
Dr. Julius Birungi of Kagadi community health says the injuries inflicted in the child by the chimpanzee were severe and that he had recommended that the child be referred to Mulago for further management but the parents didn’t have money to transport the child to Mulago national referral hospital.
Birungi has tasked Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA to relocate chimpanzees from Muhorro town council area in order to reduce on Human-wildlife conflict cases.
Residents in the area have attacked UWA for doing nothing despite several attacks by chimpanzees.
The residents say despite several pleas made to UWA to have the animals controlled from invading the community, nothing has been done.
Byonabye Kayiru, a resident of Muhorro explains that it is unfortunate for UWA to consider the wild animals more important than human beings yet lives are being lost.
