Tracking Chimps
Trip Start
May 24, 2009
1
58
63
Trip End
Sep 02, 2009
Kibale, Kibale, Uganda
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It didn't take us too much searching in the forest to track them down given the amount of noise they were making - filling the air with screeches and howls and whatever other noises chimps generally make when communicating with each other. They mostly stayed in the tree tops but we were able to see a lot of their movement and it was quite sweet seeing the babies staring out at us through the foliage only to be swiftly (and sometimes forcibly) removed by a motherly hand.
It was sometimes hard to get the right angle for a good view and more than once, in order to see one chimp, we found ourselves underneath a tree where another chimp was feasting on berries and not too concerned about how much he dropped on us. I got one in the mouth but will assume it wasn't personal!
The troop did at one point decide to cross the dirt road through the forest so that gave us a good view of them clear of tree. It is quite freakish how human they looked at times...
All too soon though the hour was up (strictly adhered too so that they don't get stressed by too much human contact).
That afternoon, while we were safely back at our lodge but most of the group were with the chimps, saw some of the heaviest rain I have ever seen. Luckily we saw it coming and got all the tents zipped up in time but 12 people reappeared from the forest not long after looking more than a little bedraggled. And this is dry season in Uganda!
C.
