Mubende Residents Live in Fear as Chimpanzee Attacks Escalate

Evening in Ssegenya Village, Mubende, no longer signals a time for rest but for heightened vigilance. For weeks, the community has been living under the constant threat of chimpanzees, with animals straying into homesteads and gardens, causing fear, injuries, and frustration.

The latest victim was a one-and-a-half-year-old boy, who was attacked while with his mother in a garden. He sustained significant injuries and remains hospitalized, with his mother appealing to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for assistance with medical bills.

Residents attribute these persistent attacks to environmental degradation, accusing the National Forestry Authority (NFA) of leasing forest land where chimpanzees once roamed. They state that indigenous trees have been replaced with eucalyptus plantations, which are unsuitable for primate sustenance.

Concerns are mounting as residents recount past incidents, including a child’s death in 2024 from a similar attack, following which they claim no lasting solutions were implemented. This has led to accusations that authorities are being reactive rather than proactive.

Environmental experts explain this phenomenon as habitat fragmentation, where reduced natural food sources force wildlife into human settlements. For families like the injured boy’s, this crisis is compounded by economic vulnerability, as missed workdays and mounting medical expenses can destabilize households.

While Ugandan law provides for compensation for wildlife-related harm, residents report that victims of previous attacks have not received any. The Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Mr. Bashir Hangi, described the incident as unfortunate and urged prompt reporting of such encounters, while cautioning against retaliatory actions against the animals.

Conservationists emphasize the importance of chimpanzees as both an ecological asset and a tourism driver, but warn that community perception of wildlife as a liability could undermine conservation efforts. They stress the need for habitat restoration, community sensitization, and translocation where feasible for coexistence.

For families like Rose Asiimwe’s, the issue transcends ecological debates; it is a lived reality marked by medical costs and the traumatic memory of her child’s suffering.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)