Page 66 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #11
P. 66
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Chimpanzees
It’s a rare privilege to set foot on Rubondo Island. Bar a handful
of park wardens, wildlife researchers and camp staff, the island
is uninhabited by humans and has been set aside as a refuge for
threatened chimpanzees.
Rubondo Island Camp and more frequent sightings as the
chimpanzees become less shy and
RUBONDO ISLAND LIES in the secretive.
southwest corner of Lake Victoria in
Asilia Africa’s Rubondo Island
Northern Tanzania and is blanketed Camp is the only lodge on Rubondo
in pristine equatorial forest – the
Island, the largest island national
ideal sanctuary for 16 rescued
chimpanzees to be reintroduced into park in Africa. From its idyllic
the wild. lakefront location to the eco-friendly
design of the eight waterfront
Professor Bernhard Grzimek of chalets, the camp offers unrivalled
the Frankfurt Zoological Society access to this unique destination.
initiated this project in the 1960s, Here, elephant roam wild, shy
and over a four year period released sitatungas jump from bush to bush,
the chimpanzees rescued from colourful birds and butterflies
European zoos onto the island abound amongst lush indigenous
in four cohorts. The animals had foliage, and the waters teem with
no rehabilitation or pre-release hippo, crocodile, and the iconic Nile
training but after just one year perch.
on Rubondo, they had reverted Being a part of the chimpanzee
successfully to a truly wild state habituation on Rubondo Island is a
characteristic of chimpanzees born truly once-in-a-lifetime experience
and raised in the wild. in a one-of-a-kind location, and is
The latest project on the island is the ideal complement to a classic
the habituation of the increasing Serengeti safari.
population of more than 30
chimpanzees to the presence of
humans.This involves trekking out
early each morning to find where
the chimpanzees have spent the
night and then slowly introducing
them to the presence of humans in asiliaafrica.com
a non-threatening way.This takes safari@asiliaafrica.com
considerable time and patience
but is yielding excellent results +27 21 418 0468
