Chimpanzee Injures Baby in Mubende
Chimpanzee Injures Baby in Mubende
By Editor
Mubende
Residents of Nsegenya Cell in West Division, Mubende Municipality, are in shock after a chimpanzee attacked and injured a one-year-old baby during a morning incident that has left the community on edge.
According to Rose Asiimwe, the mother of the injured child who is currently admitted at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, the incident occurred while she had gone to the garden in search of a livelihood.
“I had gone to the garden to look for money to support my four children when the chimpanzee grabbed my baby. I raised an alarm, and neighbours came and hunted it,” Asiimwe said.
She added that residents responded quickly and managed to scare off the animal, which eventually dropped the child, though injuries had already been sustained.
“My baby got a fracture on the left arm and sustained wounds on the buttocks,” she said.
Asiimwe, visibly distressed, appealed for financial assistance to support her child’s treatment.
“Since we came here, doctors only treated the wounds and prescribed medicine, but I do not have money to buy it,” she added.
Community member Editha Namatovu said residents rushed to the scene after hearing the alarm and found the child already injured.
“I heard the woman raising an alarm, informed other locals, and we went to help. We found the baby already injured,” she said.
Namatovu added that fear has now gripped the village, with many residents avoiding routine activities such as fetching water and collecting firewood due to repeated chimpanzee encounters.
“The chimpanzee is very aggressive. We no longer fetch water or firewood because many people have encountered chimpanzees in the gardens,” she said.
Another resident, Ronald Ssemuyomba, attributed the rising human-wildlife conflict to environmental degradation, saying deforestation has pushed chimpanzees out of their natural habitat.
“All these problems started after Kyampisi Forest was cut down. That is when the chimpanzees began attacking locals while searching for food,” he said.
Residents have threatened to take matters into their own hands if authorities fail to intervene, calling on the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to act swiftly.
“We are going to hunt these chimpanzees if the concerned authorities fail to take action,” some residents warned.
Nsegenya Village Chairperson Rashid Ssemugga said the area has experienced repeated incidents involving chimpanzees, including a previous case in which a child was reportedly killed in a nearby village.
“Chimpanzees have become a serious problem in the community. They once attacked and killed a child in Kalega Village,” he said.
Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson Bashir Hangi urged residents to avoid harming wildlife and instead report incidents to authorities for proper intervention.
“It is unfortunate to hear that a chimpanzee injured a child. We urge the public to report such incidents to our teams for intervention and avoid hunting them,” he said.
