Snare removal by a chimpanzee of the Sonso community, Budongo Forest (Uganda)

Abstract

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