Chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth national park: Queen Elizabeth national park is found in the districts of Rubirizi, Kamwenge, Kasese and Rukunguri all found in south western Uganda. It covers an area of 1978 square kilometers thus being the second largest park in Uganda. The park is composed of tropical rainforests, savannah woodland and savannah grassland that support the survival of wildlife in the jungle.

The park is well known for the Kazinga channel and crater lakes plus the climbing lions in Ishasha sector which make the park to give unforgettable experience to the travelers. Wildlife includes animals like huge herds of the African caped buffaloes, African elephants, the huge populations of the hippos, the zebras, massive populations of the Uganda kobs, antelopes, the nocturnal leopards, the sitatunga giraffes, crocodiles, waterbucks, warthogs, the bushbucks, giant forest hogs, Oribisa and many more.

Queen Elizabeth is a home for mammals and primates which are located in tropical rainforests of maramagambo forest and Kyambura valley gorge. Some of these primates that are in the park are the great chimpanzees, the grey checked mangabey, the white and black colobus monkeys, the L’Hoest’s monkeys, the red tailed monkeys and many more.

Queen Elizabeth national park is not only a home to the wildlife mammals but it is as well a habitat to the great primate animals that found in the tropical rainforests of kyambura valley gorge and maramagambo forest. Some of the primates found in the park include the great chimpanzees, the white and black colobus monkeys, the grey checked mangabey, the red tailed monkeys, the L’Hoest’s monkeys among others.                                                                      

Chimpanzee Diet

Chimpanzees in Queen Elizbeth national park always breakoff their activities at sunrise hence they are diurnal but regularly active during moonlight nights. Chimpanzees commonly feed on different fruits and fruits are their main diet. They feed also on seeds, leaves, flowers, buds and blossoms. Smaller monkeys are killed by some foods therefore once they grow up they decide to make a choice of which kind of fruits they are to feed on.  Chimpanzees pick fruits using hands and they eat berries and seeds using lips which are off the stem. Chimpanzee diet is composed of almost 80 diverse plant foods. Chimpanzees supplement their diets with meats of young antelopes and goats. Their commonest victims are blue monkeys, young baboons and Columbus monkeys.

Chimpanzees use sticks for gathering termites, rocks are used for crashing nuts and more other items. They also use branches and sticks as clubs which they use to throw to their enemies like leopards.

Behavior of Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees stay in troops of over 30-80 individuals.  Large groups include smaller and supple groups of fewer members, probably males, females and times mixed. Chimps like chewing leaves until they are absorbent. They use sponges to dip in water to suck out moisture. Chimps use grass stems and twigs as tools. Chimps are terrestrial and arboreal thus spending most of their time for the daylight on the ground. Chimps are also quadrupedal meaning they walk on their four limbs with fingers half flexed to support the weight of the fore-quarter on their knuckles. They walk for short distances and when erected.

Chimpanzees set their nests high in trees thus swift climbers. During the day they rest and during the night they sleep. They bend branches when building the net. The breeding seasons for chimps is not particular and females take four to five years to give birth. Chimpanzee trekking is the most exciting experience travelers can encounter when touring Queen Elizabeth national park.