NRU :: Browsing by Author "Babweteera, Fred"

Browsing by Author "Babweteera, Fred"

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Are community forests delivering livelihood benefits? Insights from Uganda
(Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 2021) Mawa, Christopher; Mwesigye Tumusiime, David; Babweteera, Fred
Most developing countries in the tropics have embraced various forms of community-based forest management. Uganda’s Community Forestry (CF) approach grants de jure rights to community groups to manage and own proceeds from specified forest resources to enhance socio-ecological benefits. However, two decades following its implementation, there is insufficient empirical evidence linking changes in local community livelihoods to participation in CF. Guided by insights from the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), we conducted a cross-sectional survey in seven villages surrounding two de facto CFs in mid-western Uganda to quantify and compare livelihood capitals, strategies and outcomes among 40 households that were members of Communal Land Associations (CLAs) that are mandated to manage the CFs and 91 non-member households. Our results indicate significant improvements in access to natural, social and financial capitals of CLA member households. On-farm income was the main household income source in the area, but households also exhibited heavy dependence on forest environmental income observed to reduce poverty incidence by 12.5% and 5.5% among CLA member and non-member households, respectively. In order to significantly contribute to rural livelihoods, conservation and development interventions should amplify both economic and non-economic incentives to consolidate the gains that have been made while developing human and physical capital.
Avian guild assemblages in forest fragments around Budongo Forest Reserve, western Uganda
(Ostrich, 2017) Uwimbabazi, Moreen; Eycott, Amy E.; Babweteera, Fred; Sande, Eric; Telford, Richard J.; Vandvik, Vigdis
Remnant forest fragments provide an opportunity for conservation in fragmented landscapes but some patches are more useful than others. Forest fragments around Budongo Forest Reserve, an Important Bird Area in western Uganda, were surveyed to explore the effects of different aspects of habitat fragmentation on bird guild composition. We recorded 1 128 individuals of 75 bird species over 7 056 net hours. The greatest number of birds and species were recorded in the forest fragments that were large, near to the continuous forest and surrounded by subsistence farmland. However, rarefied species richness was not affected by distance, size or matrix type; instead, forest specialist species were replaced by generalists and visitors with increasing fragmentation. The proportion of forest specialists and of terrestrial insectivores decreased with distance from the main forest, canopy openness and matrix intensity but not with fragment area. The findings show that bird assemblages vary in their response to habitat fragmentation but within guilds the response to fragmentation can be consistent, and can make ecological sense. Forest bird conservation can therefore benefit from information on species ecology when deciding which bird species and which parts of the landscape are to be prioritised for conservation or monitoring purposes.
Balanites wilsoniana: Regeneration with and without elephants
(Biological conservation,, 2007) Babweteera, Fred; Savill, Peter; Brown, Nick
Tropical forest trees that produce large fruits and/or large seeds are believed to be dependant on a few and often rare large vertebrates for dispersal. However, little is known about the population dynamics of such trees when they lose their specialised dispersers. This study examines the juvenile spatial distribution of Balanites wilsoniana, Dawe & Spraque, which is believed to be dependant solely on elephants for dispersal, in forests with and without elephants. Using camera traps, elephants were confirmed to be the only frugivores feeding and thus dispersing Balanites wilsoniana fruits. There was a high density of seedlings beneath adult trees in one forest without elephants, which was attributed to low seed and seedling predation in this forest. Nevertheless, it was only in the forest with elephants that juveniles were established away from adult trees. Analysis of the spatial distribution of these juveniles by size revealed that saplings and poles are more likely to be found away from adult trees thus providing evidence that dispersal enhances juvenile survival. This study underlines the importance of seed dispersal for trees that cannot maintain their populations through seedlings germinating and surviving beneath adult conspecifics. The study also demonstrates that loss of vertebrates has ramifications for tree species dynamics above and beyond loss of seed dispersers.
Can remnant frugivore species effectively disperse tree seeds in secondary tropical rain forests?
(Biodiversity and Conservation, 2009) Babweteera, Fred; Brown, Nick
Seed dispersal by frugivores in tropical rain forests is important for maintaining viable tree populations. Over the years, vertebrate assemblages in tropical forests have been altered by anthropogenic disturbances, leading to concerns about the ability of remnant vertebrates to substitute for the lost or declining vertebrate populations. We compared vertebrate composition and frugivore visitation rates as an indirect measure of rate of seed dispersal in three tropical rain forests in Uganda, namely Mabira, Budongo and Kibale Forests. Mabira is highly disturbed, Kibale is little and Budongo is intermediate. The aim was to determine whether vertebrate assemblages in differentially disturbed forests had comparable abilities to disperse seeds and whether tree species were equally vulnerable to loss of seed dispersers. Assemblages of forest generalist species were similar in all forests, but specialists were less abundant in the heavily disturbed forest. Remnant frugivores in the heavily disturbed forest were mainly small-bodied species that spat seeds beneath fruiting trees compared to large-bodied species observed in the less disturbed forests that ingested and carried away the seeds. We postulate that the quantity of seeds dispersed in heavily disturbed forests is much reduced due to low visitation rates of frugivores and the absence of large frugivores that consume large quantities of fruit. The quality of seed dispersal is affected as well by the distance over which seeds are moved. Assessment of vulnerability of trees shows no evidence for disperser substitution for trees producing large fruits. Fruit trees with low nutritional contents and digestibility were least visited in frugivore-impoverished forests. The loss of large specialist frugivores is likely to affect recruitment of many trees, especially of species that cannot establish beneath adult conspecifics.
Conservation Outcomes of Collaborative Forest Management in a Medium Altitude Semideciduous Forest in Mid-western Uganda
(Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 2020) Mawa, Christopher; Babweteera, Fred; Mwesigye Tumusiime, David
Globally, community involvement in forest management has been hailed as an effective strategy to achieve both conservation and livelihoods improvement goals. In Uganda, Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) has been promoted to enable registered local community groups to co-manage specified areas of state forests with state agencies. However, there is paucity of empirical research evidence on conservation outcomes that are attributable to CFM. To fill this gap, this study used forest inventory data collected in compartments under different forest management regimes (CFM, inactive- CFM, and non-CFM) in 2003 and 2016 to assess spatial and temporal changes in forest structural attributes in a semideciduous forest in mid-western Uganda. Our ordination results show significant changes in tree communities in the non-CFM compartment. The CFM compartment registered a net increase in basal area. We attribute these changes to the high rate of illegal timber extraction and charcoal processing, with signs of the latter only recorded in the inactive- and non-CFM compartments. Illegal timber extraction was perpetuated by powerful outsiders while charcoal processing was dominated by local area residents for cash income. Deliberate management interventions should be instituted to curb illegal human activities and enhance regeneration and recruitment of target tree species in the forest.
Decaying Raphia farinifera Palm Trees Provide a Source of Sodium for Wild Chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda
(PloSone, 2009) Reynolds, Vernon; Lloyd, Andrew W.; Babweteera, Fred; English, Christopher J.
For some years, chimpanzees have been observed eating the pith of decaying palm trees of Raphia farinifera in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. The reasons for doing this have until now been unknown. An analysis of the pith for mineral content showed high levels of sodium to be present in the samples. By contrast, lower levels were found in bark of other tree species, and also in leaf and fruit samples eaten by chimpanzees. The differences between the Raphia samples and the non-Raphia samples were highly significant (p,0.001). It is concluded that Raphia provides a rich and possibly essential source of sodium for the Budongo chimpanzees. Comparison of a chewed sample (wadge) of Raphia pith with a sample from the tree showed a clear reduction in sodium content in the chewed sample. Black and white colobus monkeys in Budongo Forest also feed on the pith of Raphia. At present, the survival of Raphia palms in Budongo Forest is threatened by the use of this tree by local tobacco farmers.
Discovery of Novel Herpes Simplexviruses in Wild Gorillas, Bonobos, and Chimpanzees Supports Zoonotic Origin of HSV-2
(Molecular biology and evolution, 2021) Wertheim, Joel O.; Hostager, Reilly; Ryu, Diane; Merkel, Kevin; Angedakin, Samuel; Arandjelovic, Mimi; Ayuk Ayimisin, Emmanuel; Babweteera, Fred; Yuh, Ginath; Leendertz, Fabian H.; Calvignac-Spencer, Sebastien
Viruses closely related to human pathogens can reveal the origins of human infectious diseases. Human herpes simplexvirus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) are hypothesized to have arisen via host-virus codivergence and crossspecies transmission. We report the discovery of novel herpes simplexviruses during a large-scale screening of fecal samples from wild gorillas, bonobos, and chimpanzees. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that, contrary to expectation, simplexviruses from these African apes are all more closely related to HSV-2 than to HSV-1. Molecular clock-based hypothesis testing suggests the divergence between HSV-1 and the African great ape simplexviruses likely represents a codivergence event between humans and gorillas. The simplexviruses infecting African great apes subsequently experiencedmultiple cross-species transmission events over the past 3My, the most recent of which occurred between humans and bonobos around 1Ma. These findings revise our understanding of the origins of human herpes simplexviruses and suggest that HSV-2 is one of the earliest zoonotic pathogens.
The ecology of tree reproduction in an African medium altitude rainforest
(PloSone, 2009) Babweteera, Fred; Plumptre, Andrew J.; Adamescu, Gabriela S.; Shoo, Luke P.; Beale, Colin M.; Reynolds, Vernon; Nyeko, Philip; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey
The occurrence of flowering and fruiting in tropical trees will be affected by a variety of factors, linked to availability of resources and suitable climatic triggers, that may be affected by increasing global temperatures. Community-wide flowering and fruiting of 2,526 trees in 206 plots were monitored over 24 years in the Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR), Uganda. Factors that were assessed included: the size of the tree, access to light, the impacts of liana load, effects of tree growth and variation between guilds of trees. Most flowering occurs at the end of the long dry season from February to April. Trees that had access to more light flowered and fruited more frequently. Pioneer and non-pioneer light demanding species tended to reproduce more frequently than shade-bearing species. Trees that grew faster between 1993-2011 also fruited more frequently. When examining all factors, growth rate, tree size, and crown position were all important for fruiting, while liana load but not growth rate was important in reducing flowering. Trees in BFR show a large decline in fruiting over 24 years, particularly in non-pioneer light demanders, shade-bearers, and species that produce fleshy fruits eaten by primates. The decline in fruit production is of concern and is having impacts on primate diets and potential recruitment of mahogany trees. Whether climate change is responsible is unclear but flowering of the guilds/dispersal types which show declines is correlated with months with the coolest maximum temperatures and we show temperature has been increasing in BFR since the early 1990s.
Effect of gap size and age on climber abundance and diversity in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda
(African Journal of Ecology, 2000) Babweteera, Fred; Plumptre, Andrew; Obua, Joseph
A study of the e¡ects of gap size and age on climber abundance and diversity was carried out in Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda. Data were collected from compartments N5, W21, B1 and B3. Stump records were used to locate and estimate the ages of 78 gaps. Sample plots 5 5m were set up in the gaps to assess climber abundance and diversity. Climbers were more abundant and diverse in gaps that were more than 400m2, 15 months old and had more than 25% canopy opening. Momordica foetida was the most abundant climber species occurring on stems, branches and crowns of seedlings and saplings. There- fore, in order to keep natural regeneration free from climber tangles and produce good quality timber, clim- ber control should be a major activity in tropical high forest management.
Global patterns and climatic controls of forest structural complexity
(Nature communications, 2021) Ehbrecht, Martin; Seidel, Dominik; Annighöfer, Peter; Kreft, Holger; Köhler, Michael; Zemp, Delphine Clara; Puettmann, Klaus; Nilus, Reuben; Babweteera, Fred; Juday, Glenn; Stephens, Scott L.; Ammer, Christian
The complexity of forest structures plays a crucial role in regulating forest ecosystem functions and strongly influences biodiversity. Yet, knowledge of the global patterns and determinants of forest structural complexity remains scarce. Using a stand structural complexity index based on terrestrial laser scanning, we quantify the structural complexity of boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical primary forests. We find that the global variation of forest structural complexity is largely explained by annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality (R² = 0.89). Using the structural complexity of primary forests as benchmark, we model the potential structural complexity across biomes and present a global map of the potential structural complexity of the earth´s forest ecoregions. Our analyses reveal distinct latitudinal patterns of forest structure and show that hotspots of high structural complexity coincide with hotspots of plant diversity. Considering the mechanistic underpinnings of forest structural complexity, our results suggest spatially contrasting changes of forest structure with climate change within and across biomes.
Novel Adenoviruses in Wild Primates: a High Level of Genetic Diversity and Evidence of Zoonotic Transmissions
(Journal of virology, 2011) Wevers, Diana; Metzger, Sonja; Babweteera, Fred; Bieberbach, Marc; Boesch, Christophe; Mugisha, Lawrence; Ehlers, Bernhard
Adenoviruses (AdVs) broadly infect vertebrate hosts, including a variety of nonhuman primates (NHPs). In the present study, we identified AdVs in NHPs living in their natural habitats, and through the combination of phylogenetic analyses and information on the habitats and epidemiological settings, we detected possible horizontal transmission events between NHPs and humans. Wild NHPs were analyzed with a pan-primate AdV-specific PCR using a degenerate nested primer set that targets the highly conserved adenovirus DNA polymerase gene. A plethora of novel AdV sequences were identified, representing at least 45 distinct AdVs. From the AdV-positive individuals, 29 nearly complete hexon genes were amplified and, based on phylogenetic analysis, tentatively allocated to all known human AdV species (Human adenovirus A to Human adenovirus G [HAdV-A to -G]) as well as to the only simian AdV species (Simian adenovirus A [SAdV-A]). Interestingly, five of the AdVs detected in great apes grouped into the HAdV-A, HAdV-D, HAdV-F, or SAdV-A clade. Furthermore, we report the first detection of AdVs in New World monkeys, clustering at the base of the primate AdV evolutionary tree. Most notably, six chimpanzee AdVs of species HAdV-A to HAdV-F revealed a remarkably close relationship to human AdVs, possibly indicating recent interspecies transmission events.
Predicting which tropical tree species are vulnerable to forest disturbances
(African Journal of Ecology, 2017) Babweteera, Fred; Ssekuubwa, Enock
Tropical forest management often focuses on a few highvalue timber species because they are thought to be the most vulnerable in logged forests. However, other tree species may be vulnerable to secondary effects of logging, like loss of vertebrate dispersers. We examined vulnerability of tree species to loss of vertebrate dispersers in Mabira, a heavily disturbed tropical rainforest in Uganda. Fruit characteristics and shade tolerance regimes of 269 tree species were compiled. Stem densities of tree species producing fruits of various sizes and having different shade tolerance regimes were computed for Mabira and compared with densities of conspecifics in Budongo, a less disturbed forest with similar floral composition. Seventy per cent of tree species in Mabira are animaldispersed, of which 10% are large-fruited light demanders. These species are the most vulnerable because they rarely recruit beneath adult conspecifics and are exclusively dispersed by large vertebrates, also vulnerable in heavily disturbed forests. Comparison of densities between Mabira and Budongo showed that large-fruited light demanders had a lower density in Mabira. Other categories of tree species had similar densities in both forests. It is plausible that the low density of large-fruited light demanders is due to limited recruitment caused by dispersal limitations.
Production, seasonality and management of chimpanzee food trees in Budongo Forest, Uganda
(African journal of ecology, 2007) Tweheyo, Mnason; Babweteera, Fred
This study monitored the phenology of fruit and leaf of 575 chimpanzee food trees (40 species belonging to fifteen families) in the Budongo Forest Reserve (Uganda) from June 1999 to June 2006. We also monitored the phenology of all fig species in the study area. Fruit quantity varied significantly between species and seasons, with peak during wet season (April–June). The number of tree species in fruit correlated positively with rainfall and was higher during rainy season than dry season. Ficus species had exceptionally high fruit quantities ranging from 400 to 650,000 fruits per tree in a single production period. Leaf flushing peaked during late dry season and early wet season (February–April). Mature leaves were available at all seasons, even when young leaves were emerging. Only Ficus sur, Broussonetia papyrifera and Celtis gomphophylla had fruits throughout the year, and six species did not produce fruits during the study period. Of the twelve species that fruited between 40 and 58 months, three are very important timber species and seven were once killed with arboricides. We conclude that the long-term survival of chimpanzees in tropical forests requires conservation of their food trees.
Responses of tree growth and biomass production to nutrient addition in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Africa
(Ecology, 2022) Manu, Raphael; Corre, Marife D.; Aleeje, Alfred; Mwanjalolo, Majaliwa J. G.; Babweteera, Fred; Veldkamp, Edzo; Straaten, Oliver van
Experimental evidence of nutrient limitations on primary productivity in Afrotropical forests is rare and globally underrepresented yet are crucial for understanding constraints to terrestrial carbon uptake. In an ecosystem-scale nutrient manipulation experiment, we assessed the early responses of tree growth rates among different tree sizes, taxonomic species, and at a community level in a humid tropical forest in Uganda. Following a full factorial design, we established 32 (eight treatments four replicates) experimental plots of 40 40 m each. We added nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), their combinations (NP, NK, PK, and NPK), and control at the rates of 125 kg N ha 1 year 1, 50 kg P ha 1 year 1 and 50 kg K ha 1 year 1, split into four equal applications, and measured stem growth of more than 15,000 trees with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥1 cm. After 2 years, the response of tree stem growth to nutrient additions was dependent on tree sizes, species and leaf habit but not community wide. First, tree stem growth increased under N additions, primarily among medium-sized trees (10–30 cm dbh), and in trees of Lasiodiscus mildbraedii in the second year of the experiment. Second, K limitation was evident in semi-deciduous trees, which increased stem growth by 46% in +K than –K treatments, following a strong, prolonged dry season during the first year of the experiment. This highlights the key role of K in stomatal regulation and maintenance of water balance in trees, particularly under water-stressed conditions. Third, the role of P in promoting tree growth and carbon accumulation rates in this forest on highly weathered soils was rather not pronounced; nonetheless, mortality among saplings (1–5 cm dbh) was reduced by 30% in +P than in –P treatments. Although stem growth responses to nutrient interaction effects were positive or negative (likely depending on nutrient combinations and climate variability), our results underscore the fact that, in a highly diverse forest ecosystem, multiple nutrients and not one single nutrient regulate tree growth and aboveground carbon uptake due to varying nutrient requirements and acquisition strategies of different tree sizes, species, and leaf habits.
Selectivity Of Forest Tree Species For Debarking By Elephants In Rabongo Forest- Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
(Researchjournali’s Journal of Ecology, 2016) Odoi, Juventine Boaz; Babweteera, Fred; Gwali, Samson; Tweheyo, Mnason
Selectivity of the different forest tree species for debarking by elephants in a forest ecosystem is an important phenomenon for understanding the interactions between the large herbivores and the woody community in the tropical forest ecosystem. Here we present a long term investigation on elephant preference to forest trees debarking in Rabongo Forest spanning 20 years since 1992 in seven (7) one hectare plots established in 1992 distributed over 46 hactare in Rabongo Forest which is an important habitat for most large herbivores in Murchison Falls National Park. Diospyros abyssinica; Holoptelea grandis; Trichilea prieuriana and Cynometra alexandri were the most debarked/preferred tree species and also the most abundant in the forest in Rabongo Forest although the number of the debarked trees ≥ 10cm dbh reduced by 4%. Synthesis. There should be close monitoring of the number of elephants that visit Rabongo Forest over the years to relate with the number of stems debarked over the years to guide on the need to maintain the right elephant carrying capacity for the forest. We also recommend for further investigation for what attributes make the above tree species be preferred by elephants in Rabongo Forest
Snare removal by a chimpanzee of the Sonso community, Budongo Forest (Uganda)
(Pan Africa News, 2008) Amati, Stephen; Babweteera, Fred; Wittig, Roman M.
Hunting is one of the biggest threats to the survival of our closest living relative, the chimpanzee. While chimpanzees in West ad Central Africa commonly get directly shot by hunters and subsequently end up on the bushmeat market (see: www.wildchimps.org), the effects of hunting on chimpanzees in East Africa are more indirect. Hunters put up wire snares in the forests of East Africa in order to catch duikers and bush pigs. However, often snares catch other animals, such as chimpanzees. Their hands or feet get caught in the snares, causing subsequent loss of limbs or mutilation of hands and feet. In the Budongo Forest, in western Uganda, snaring is the traditional way to provide animal protein for one’s family. The snare removal team of the Budongo Conservation Forest Station removes snares from the forest since January 2000 (further details see 4). During the three years, from 2005 to 2007, BCFS staff removed on average about 220 snares per month from Budongo Forest. Nonetheless snaring injuries are frequent in our habituated chimpanzee community at Sonso. During the last year we had three new incidences of snared individuals. As a result about 30% of the adults from the Sonso community show permanent mutilation related to snares
Spatial patterns of tree recruitment in East African tropical forests that have lost their vertebrate seed dispersers
(Journal of tropical ecology, 2010) Babweteera, Fred; Brown, Nick
The direct removal of adult trees by logging affects tree recruitment in tropical rain forests. However, secondary effects of logging, such as loss of vertebrate seed dispersers may also affect tree recruitment. We studied the recruitment and spatial distribution of five tree species namely Balanites wilsoniana, Celtis zenkeri, Chrysophyllum albidum, Cordia millenii and Ricinodendron heudelotii in Kibale, Budongo and Mabira Forests in Uganda. These forests have been subjected to varying degrees of disturbance leading to changes in their vertebrate seed dispersers. Vertebrate frugivores of the five tree species were identified. Three 1-ha plots were established around adult trees of the same five species in each forest and the distance from the juveniles to the nearest adult conspecific was measured to generate a recruitment curve. Frugivore visitation rates were high in the less disturbed Budongo and Kibale (2.2 and 1.6 individuals h−1 respectively) compared with the highly disturbed Mabira (0.9 individuals h−1). In the frugivoreimpoverished forest, 70–90% of juveniles established beneath adult conspecifics, whereas in the less-disturbed forests juveniles were established up to 80 m from adult conspecifics. Shade-tolerant species capable of recruiting beneath adult conspecifics appeared to maintain their populations without dispersal. Consequently, disturbances leading to significant loss of vertebrates may alter tree recruitment and spatial distribution with consequences for long-term population viability of shade-intolerant tropical trees.
Transdisciplinary approach to solving conservation challenges: A case of Budongo Conservation Field Station, Uganda
(PeerJ PrePrints, 2016) Asiimwe, Caroline; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey; Okwir, Eric; Okimat, John Paul; Bugenyi, Andrew W.; Mugabe, Timothy; Babweteera, Fred
The conservation of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) faces complex and dynamic threats, deriving mostly from anthropogenic factors such as high density and poverty in local human populations. One specific threat is poaching, which contributes to both permanent physical disabilities in chimpanzees and cross-species disease transmission. In the Sonso chimpanzee community, Budongo forest, Uganda, over 20% chimpanzees are permanently disabled by indiscriminate poachers’ snare-trap. While severe injuries can sometimes result in death, little is known about the long-term health impacts of poaching to chimpanzees or possible effective mitigation measures. To combat and monitor the complexities of conservation threats, a holistic transdisciplinary approach is required and as a result, the Budongo Conservation Field Station (BCFS) has implemented a comprehensive strategy. Instead of focusing solely on chimpanzee health, our multi-faced tit-for-tat approach also incorporates education and action measures for local communities living adjacent to the forest. To reduce poaching, we provide alternative livelihood sources, veterinary services and education while concurrently employing their local indigenous knowledge of poaching practices to more effectively locate snares/traps in the forest. To mitigate disease transmission across species, beneficiaries in incentive programs must have functional sanitation facilities. To consistently monitor threats and conservation impacts, we routinely collect data on snare recovery and infectious disease prevalence in chimpanzees, humans and livestock. Our preliminary results, since the programs’ inception, show a reduction in respiratory and gastro-intestinal infections coupled with an increase in snare recovery from the forest. These findings suggest that our holistic approach is effective in mitigating the threats to chimpanzees in Budongo forest.
Vaginal Prolapse in a Handicapped, Multiparous Wild Chimpanzee in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda
(African Primates, 2014) Asiimwe, Caroline; Reynolds, Vernon; Zziwa, Paul; Mugabe, Timothy; Walumbe, Wyclif; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey; Babweteera, Fred; Zuberbühler, Klaus
The propensity of human females to develop vaginal prolapse is related to age, number of births, neonatal birth weight, genetics and other factors. Here, we report on a vaginal prolapse in a 33-year old, multiparous, handicapped wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), following her sixth delivery. Compared to the other 22 parous females of the Sonso community, the subject exhibited a high number of births within a short time period. Thus, the possible cause for her condition may have been the high number of vaginal births combined with the size and weight of the neonate. Additional possible factors not investigated here are: the impact of prolonged stage-two labour, persistent straining and genetic factors. The female fully recovered within 15 days and exhibited no unusual behavioural patterns or physiological abnormalities during recovery. We conclude that vaginal prolapse is not restricted to humans but also occurs in our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.
Wild Chimpanzees Infected with 5 Plasmodium Species
(Emerging infectious diseases, 2010) Kaiser, Marco; Löwa, Anna; Ulrich, Markus; Ellerbrok, Heinz; Goffe, Adeelia S.; Blasse, Anja; Zommers, Zinta; Couacy-Hymann, Emmanuel; Babweteera, Fred; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Metzger, Sonja; Geidel, Sebastian; Boesch, Christophe; Gillespie, Thomas R.; Leendertz, Fabian H.
Despite ongoing and, in some regions, escalating morbidity and mortality rates associated with malariacausing parasites, the evolutionary epidemiology of Plasmodium spp. is not well characterized. Classical studies of the blood pathogens of primates have found protozoa resembling human malaria parasites in chimpanzees and gorillas (1); however, these studies were limited to microscopy, negating conclusions regarding evolutionary relationships between human and ape parasites. Recent studies that used molecular approaches showed that captive and wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), as well as captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), harbor parasites broadly related to P. falciparum (2–5); wild and captive gorillas and captive bonobos and chimpanzees are sometimes infected with P. falciparum itself (4–6). Further, captive chimpanzees and bonobos have been shown to have malaria parasites related to human P. ovale and P. malariae (6–8); P. vivax has been identified in various monkeys and 1 semiwild chimpanzee (5,9). Recently, P. knowlesi, a simian malaria species, became the fifth human-infecting species (10), highlighting the possibility of transmission of new Plasmodium spp. from wild primates to humans.

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