Urinary Estrone Conjugates and Reproductive Parameters in Kibale (Kanyawara) and Budongo (Sonso) Chimpanzees

Abstract

The main conclusion of this chapter is that the chimpanzees of Budongo Forest Reserve face a growing threat to their survival, from a number of quarters. Increasing levels of hunting and an increase in the number of hunters looking for duiker and pig meat for their families are placing more and more snares in the forest, and traps around their fields, with the result that over a third of noninfant Sonso chimpanzees have sustained injuries, and the same proportion is likely to apply to the entire chimpanzee population in the forest. With increased numbers of people in the forest, the risk from contagious diseases is also increasing. On the protection side, we have outlined a number of measures that we are taking at Sonso, notably snare removal and a live-trap project. Other measures that could and should be tried are buffer zones and tree corridors, the latter to give chimpanzees greater freedom of movement outside the main Budongo forest block. We have also noted that there are weaknesses at the institutional level, with relevant authorities not taking sufficient action to protect the Budongo chimpanzees. It is to be hoped that this situation will change in the near future.