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A person tracking chimpanzee movements in the rainforest is required to follow the primates wherever they go, except in the trees.
Onesma Anebyona pursues the chimpanzees with such spiritual determination that she is able to win the trust of a chimpanzee leader named Jean, who recently came down from a tree one morning while Anebyona was stopping by nearby.
It took four years for Anebyona to adjust to Jean, an alpha male who has become so accustomed to people that he pretends to sleep while tourists make a racket that forces the other chimpanzees to leave.
Wildlife officials call the process of chimpanzees becoming comfortable around humans “habituation”, a term that fails to describe the conflict between man and animal as they try to understand and tolerate each other.
Anebyona and others involved in chimp conservation in this remote Ugandan rainforest say their goal is to create the kind of communication that troubles chimpanzees in the first place. It may take several years for a chimpanzee to develop a habit. Conservation efforts employing men like Anebyona not only track the apes’ movements, but also help ensure that chimpanzees like Jeanne do not die at an early age.
“The job requires patience,” Enebyona said. “Passion too. You have to care.”
Anebyona does not leave the forest even when it rains. “You accept,” he said. “The rain may beat you, but you can’t beat the chimpanzees.”
Primate Capital
The rainforest in western Uganda is part of Kibale National Park, a protected area described by some as the primate capital of the world. Species range from colobus monkeys to chimpanzees, which are a major tourist attraction.
But tourists cannot be taken to track wild chimpanzees, which escape into the denser areas of the montane forest and are known to be violent during skirmishes over territory. Instead, rangers habitually take tourists to one of three groups of chimpanzees, whose numbers range from a dozen to more than 100 in a group. Chimpanzees in Kibale now number at least 1,000, many of which remain in the wild.
Even chimpanzees habitually remain relatively wary of people, and only a few – such as the genets of the Kisongi group, which includes about 80 apes – have completely overcome any discomfort around people.
“Jean is my friend,” Anebyona announced one recent morning as some tourists gathered nearby. The 20-year-old strong and intelligent chimpanzee lay on his back with his legs raised.
The connection between Anebiona and the gene was sealed in July when the chimpanzee appeared one day with his hand stuck in a wire mesh, putting his finger in danger of being amputated. Anebyona was among the wire strippers, picked up by Jean when he wandered out of the jungle to steal sugar cane.
Anebyona is one of four people who work as chimpanzee habituaries in shifts with Jean’s group. While the chimpanzees rest, the men sit in the mud nearby. When the primates go hiking, they follow them, sometimes even grunting like them.
Anebyona holds the telescope and takes note of what it sees. The goal is to increase chimpanzee numbers and generate more tourism revenue. In Kibale, a permit to track chimpanzees costs a foreign visitor $250.
Adapting wild chimpanzees
Tourist guide Alex Turitunga told The Associated Press that the habituation process is enlightening. He said he and his colleagues have been trying to fully acclimatize the Kisongi group for more than a decade.
“We try to learn about these chimpanzees, but they also try to learn about us,” Turayatunga said.
To succeed, one can habitually focus on alphas such as genes, targeting them repeatedly until others in the group notice their comfort around people. One person can help others “get on board,” Turitunga said.
The common chimpanzee is one of the two primate species most closely related to humans. Scientist Cue the approximately 99% DNA similarity between humans and chimpanzees – the same as bonobos.
Ankunda Viola Ariho, Kibale’s tourism warden, said habituators like Enebyona should show willingness to interact closely with chimpanzees.
“We look at attitude. It’s very important,” she said, talking about habitual people. “If you don’t like what you’re doing you won’t do it.”
jane goodallwork of
World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, who died in October, formed strong relationships with the chimpanzees she studied in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. His work helped shape a sympathetic view of chimpanzees as emotionally complex creatures. The species has been listed International Union for Conservation of Nature As endangered, it faces threats such as poaching and habitat loss.
Kibale National Park received protected status in 1993 when the forest was encroached upon by hundreds of people who built houses there and cut down trees for firewood. The park is now thriving, thanks in part to habitat efforts that make it possible for tourists to contribute directly to chimpanzee conservation.
Chimp habituation can open up research opportunities that would not otherwise be possible, and Kibale is one of the longest-running field stations in the tropical region, said David Morgan, co-director of the Golougo Triangle Ape Project. republic of congo,
“If chimpanzees don’t want to be seen, they’re incredibly good at disappearing,” said Morgan, a chimpanzee and gorilla expert at the Lincoln Park Zoo. chicago,
He said chimpanzee habituation and related tourism could improve the way the public interacts with the apes.
“Communities that are imperiled serve as a symbol of the importance of what we can learn from them and what we can gain by protecting them and what we may lose if we don’t,” Morgan said.
Turayatunga takes a walkie-talkie with him when he goes into the jungle, and from time to time habitually asks people if they have a close-up and clear view of the chimpanzees. This is because even when habituated, chimpanzees are more likely to be seen in trees.
“You hear the early morning sounds when they’re coming out of the nest. Then present yourself to the chimpanzees – they see you’re there, that’s all,” he said. “Stay with them. If they move, follow them.”
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Holly Meyer contributed to this report from Nashville, Tennessee.
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Associated Press religion coverage is supported by the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.