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The Kyabasengya chimpanzees
Kyabasengya is situated in the far north of the Budongo–Bugoma Corridor, not far from the southern border of Budongo Forest. Deforestation of local forests has been extensive, and little natural forest remains in the range of the Kyabasengya chimpanzees. They are usually found within a single 15-acre fragment of forest, which is being conserved through our schoolchild sponsorship for private forest owners.
In 2025, there were 20 chimpanzees in the Kyabasengya community, including seven mature females but only two mature males. Since we started monitoring these chimpanzees in 2019, two up-and-coming adolescent males have disappeared; one of these males was certainly killed in retaliation for eating crops.
We expect that conflicts with farmers explain the small number of surviving males in Kyabasengya. Since 2022, we’ve increased our livelihood support interventions, as well as education and community outreach in local villages. We hope such interventions will reduce conflicts and make life safer for the Kyabasengya chimpanzees.
Location map
Meet the chimps of Kyabasengya
Howard is a large male chimpanzee in his mid-twenties and the current alpha at Kyabasengya. He seems uninterested in bonding with the only other adult male in the community (Justus), preferring instead to spend time with the group’s females.
Justus is the beta-male at Kyabasengya. He’s a somewhat peripheral figure: at times, he ranges alone away from the rest of his group. Since alpha male Howard doesn’t tolerate Justus mating with females, Justus coerces cycling females to accompany him outside the normal home range of the community. These ‘romantic’ sojourns can last months at a time.
Jackson and James are two lively male juvenile chimpanzees. The Kyabasengya community has a shortage of mature males currently. Although Jackson and James are still very young, they offer hope for the future of their small community.
Enid is the middle-aged matriarch of her family of females. She has three known offspring, all of whom are girls: 11-year-old Emelda, 5-year-old Eva, and her new infant, born in 2024. Emelda has reached the age when she might leave Kyabasengya to join another chimpanzee community and begin her reproductive life. For the time being, however, she seems content to stay in Kyabasengya with her family.
Gloria’s an 8-year-old female. In 2022, her right arm was severely injured by a wire snare. A veterinary intervention was attempted, but unfortunately, Gloria couldn’t be captured. Although her terrible injury eventually healed, the wire remained tightly wrapped around her forearm. It seemed unlikely that Gloria would be able to use her arm normally again. Nevertheless, the wire finally fell off in late 2023 and—against the odds—Gloria has recovered use of her injured arm and hand.
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Your support is crucial in helping us to continue our conservation and community support efforts and make a positive impact on both people and nature. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference and helps to protect these magnificent animals and their vital habitats for generations to come.