Jane Goodall ranks Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island as the best Chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa

Jane Goodall, an ethologist, anthropologist and a powerhouse primatologist is mostly known as the founder of Jane Goodall institute and she recently came to Uganda. While in Uganda, she decided to make a visit to Uganda’s leading chimpanzee habituation (Ngamba Island Sanctuary) and while there, she was impressed with what she saw.

Goodall said that she decided to rank Ngamba Sanctuary as the leading Chimp Sanctuary in Africa because of the kind of care and attention given to the primates. Chimpanzees are highly threatened by extinction in Uganda and Africa as a whole.

In Africa, there are 29 chimpanzee sanctuaries, 2 of these founded by Jane Goodall under the Jane Goodall Institute and the remaining 27 have been receiving funds from her. This makes her a key figure in the protection of chimpanzees in Africa. Many people in the world trust Goodall when it comes to Chimpanzee research because of her experience and devotion to protect the primates. Apart from Uganda, other Sanctuaries in Africa are found in Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Jane Goodall decided to celebrate her 80th birthday with the chimpanzees of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island and while giving her speech, she said that she observed that the 47 gorillas on this Lake Victoria’s Island were loved and well treated with all the necessary care that she had never seen elsewhere in Africa.

She went on and said that she has moved from one sanctuary to another across Africa for a couple of years, but never seen chimpanzee caregivers treat the chimpanzees with so much love and care before. According to her, chimpanzees at Ngamba Island are treated with a feeling that they are man’s closest relatives and this explains the much care and love that is given to them. She said that “I am overwhelmed”.

According to Ngamba Sanctuary Island’s director, Lilly Ajarova, said that Goodall’s recognition of the Island as the top sanctuary in Africa could be a turning point which could attract more tourists from different parts of the world.

Jane Goodall is an inspirational figure and she is estimated to command over ten million followers worldwide including conservationists and tourists, her credit of the Sanctuary is destined to increase the annual tourists turn-up from the current 4000 to 5000.Ontop of attracting more tourists, this recognition of the Sanctuary is expected to increase the conservation of the primates whose population in Africa is dwindling at a rapid rate.

Ngamba Island is 23km from Entebbe and it occupies an area of about 100 acres. The Island is one of the most attractive Islands on Lake Victoria and it receives an estimated 4000 visitors a year.