Chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Habituation and trekking are two activities that chimpanzee lovers enjoy. These involve spending time in the forest with chimpanzees. During habituation, researchers and tourists are joined by armed rangers. The rangers are there to protect the group in case of danger, but such cases are rare. The park makes sure the chimpanzees are used to people before visitors are allowed near them.
Chimpanzees are most active in the morning. That is why it is best to enter the forest early to see them searching for food, caring for their young, or walking on two legs like humans. In the rainy season, they stay in one place more often because there is plenty of fruit in the forest. In the dry season, they move around more to find food. Their diet includes insects, roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and sometimes meat.
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzees can be seen in Kyambura Gorge, also called the Valley of Apes. They are familiar with humans because of nearby communities and ongoing habituation. Another place where chimpanzees can be found is Kalinzu Forest.
The word “chimpanzee” comes from the Tshiluba language word kivili-chimpenze, which means “mockman” or “ape.” Their scientific name is Pan troglodytes, a Greek term referring to cave dwellers. They were named this way to reflect their behavior and appearance.
Chimpanzees share about 98% of human DNA. Some scientists even call them our first cousins. They are intelligent and use tools like stones, sticks, and leaves to help them solve problems.
They have black or dark brown hair covering their bodies. You can tell young chimpanzees apart from adults by the white hair on their lower backs, which disappears as they grow older. They enter puberty around age seven. Females go through a monthly cycle and are ready to give birth between the ages of 11 and 23, with their cycle lasting about 36 days.
Chimpanzees live in groups and sub-groups of about 15 to 150 members. When food is scarce, the group can split into smaller units. Females are often more solitary than males. Chimpanzees build nests in trees, where they sleep for about nine and a half hours each day.
