Diana Museveni becomes new patron for Chimpanzee Trust

Ms Diana Kyaremera Museveni is the new patron for Chimpanzee Trust, which manages Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

On World Chimpanzee Day, celebrated on July 14, 2024, at Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Ms Kyaremera, the First Daughter, was introduced as the new patron, taking over from her mother, Ms Janet Kataha Museveni, who had been the patron since 1999.

"I am humbled to take on this role and I’m committed to fulfilling it to the best of my ability," Ms Kyaremera said, acknowledging the trust placed in her by the mother and the board. She emphasised the importance of conservation efforts, citing the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's classification of chimpanzees as an endangered species.

With only 5,000 chimpanzees remaining in Uganda and less than 350,000 across Africa, Ms Kyaremera highlighted the urgent need for protection and conservation. She attributed the decline in chimpanzee populations to habitat loss, poaching, and illegal trafficking.

Dr Joshua Rukundo, Executive Director of Chimpanzee Trust, emphasised the significance of World Chimpanzee Day in raising awareness about the threats to chimpanzee survival.

He added that the National Chimpanzee Conservation strategy was launched with the aim of addressing the issues causing population decline.

"Although the National Chimpanzee Conservation Strategy has been launched, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities is yet to establish the necessary implementation structure. To move forward, we need to set up a committee to oversee the strategy's implementation, and once that's in place, we can proceed with the rollout."

Dr James Musinguzi, Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) and Board Chairperson of Chimpanzee Trust, welcomed Ms Kyaremera as the new patron, praising her passion for wildlife conservation. He acknowledged the high costs of caring for chimpanzees, including feeding and providing welfare.

Mr James Byamukama, Director of Jane Goodall Institute, celebrated the lives of chimpanzees and thanked the heroes who have worked hard to save them. He emphasised the importance of conservation efforts, noting that chimpanzees in captivity deserve care and protection.

“We have 77 chimpanzees in captivity, 54 at Ngamba and 23 at UWEC. Therefore, we thank all the heroes who made sure that those Chimps in the wild are saved and those in captivity are catered for because they did no crime,” he said.