Sunday: Ngamba Island’s grandpa chimp stands tall

At 37, Sunday is one of the oldest chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Home to a little more than 50 orphaned chimps, the island on Lake Victoria opened its facilities to Sunday—also affectionately known as Grandpa—in 1998.

“His love is intensified as he ages to the extent that caregivers call him grandpa. He is estimated to have been born in 1987 [in] the Democratic Republic of Congo forests. He was brought to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in 1989 along with Megan and Maisko,’’ Innocent Ampeire, assistant sanctuary manager, animal welfare, says.

The first male chimp to set foot on Ngamba Island, Sunday wasted no time in trying to dominate big female chimps like Kidogo and Megan. He was, however, unsuccessful.

“After a few months, the initial group [of chimps] settled in at Ngamba and was at peace with him. The second group that included big males later arrived and among them was Robbie, who took over the leadership as an alpha male. Sunday peacefully accepted to keep a low profile,” Ampeire recalls.

Sunday’s backstory does not give an indication as to why he continues to keep a low profile. In 1991, he illegally ended up at a circus in Moscow, Russia, after travelling through Italy, Austria, and Hungary.

“While in the circus, Sunday was castrated with the intention of taming him. It denied him conjugal rights. This affected him physically and mentally, which made him become wilder,” Ampeire narrates.

While aggressive to caregivers at Ngamba Island, Sunday’s soft side comes out through his playfulness with young chimps, especially infants. Such is the adventurous streak in him that when he comes across a new item, he plays with it whilst also taking good care of it.

“He has a deep love for boats and he literally went sailing away from Ngamba Island only to be reported by a fisherman. To determine the depth of water, Sunday gets a long stick and deeps it in the water to compare it with his height so as to determine his movements in water,” Ampeire says.

Chimpanzees are famed for being our animal relatives, and Sunday shows why. He loves life at the beach and shallow waters; sits with arms crossed while waiting for food at the feeding area; rarely climbs trees; and rests on the ground or on the platform depending on the weather.

Sunday can also be very territorial as caregivers at the island and indeed the communities around it can attest.

“One day during the evening hours, Sunday spotted two fishermen in a canoe by the shoreline. He scared them away and as they swam away, Sunday slowly stepped into their canoe. As he stepped on to the boat, he pushed the boat off the shores and the wind aided him to sail into the deeper waters towards Koome Island,” Ampeire recalls, adding, “He was saved by a boy and his father from the neighbouring Island, who saw a chimp alone sailing in the canoe and delivered the news to the sanctuary. The caregivers quickly set off for the rescue mission taking a sanctuary rescue boat with a rope and a relatively heavy but manageable rock which they had to tie on it…[Sunday] was found standing still holding the canoe with both hands in fear of the waters since he was unable to swim.’’

While Sunday remained calm and showed the need for assistance during the rescue, a naughty side to him sprouted one day when a drunken fisherfolk docked his canoe on the northern shores of Ngamba Island. At daybreak, when released into the forest, Sunday reached out to the man who was sleeping soundly. Not for long, though, as the chimp slapped him twice. Jolted, the fisherfolk pulled hard on his oar and pedalled to his home Island of Nsadzi.

As Uganda celebrates World Chimpanzee Day today, Sunday will continue to stand out in more ways than one at the sanctuary. The tallest chimp in the community, he can easily be identified by his long limbs, long dark face, black hair, and slender body.

“He has a chip on his left ear acquired from his time in the circus. Despite his age and height, his rank and influence in the community has gone down with the emergency of young and energetic males,” Ampeire discloses, adding, “He has good appetite and is in great health condition as annual health checks reveal no health issues. He plays a grandpa’s role in the community and most chimps go to him for consultation as an elder.”

[email protected]