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Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A five-year-old boy is nursing severe wounds at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, following an attack by a chimpanzee in Mparangasi village, Kyabigambire sub-county, Hoima district.
The victim is Jonan Twine, a grandson of Julius Wamani, and a prospective pupil of Kyabigambire primary school in Hoima district.
Julius Wamani, the grandfather says his grandson was attacked by the wild animal at around 11am on Thursday, as he together with his friends had gone to fetch water from one of the village water sources.
He says as they approached the water source, the chimpanzee emerged from a nearby bush and grabbed the little boy.
The rest of his friends fled for their lives and later alerted one of the area residents they found attending to his garden and informed him that Twine had been attacked by a chimpanzee. Area residents immediately rushed and rescued the boy from the Chimpanzee.
The child sustained severe injuries around his stomach and was rushed to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in critical condition.
Wamani says currently, he is financially constrained and cannot afford the medical bills to treat his grandson.
According to Wamani, about 20 chimpanzees have established habitats in Mparangasi, creating panic among residents saying that if the situation is not immediately contained, the stray chimpanzees could attack other children.
An officer from Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust-Hoima area, who spoke to URN on condition of anonymity says the chimpanzees strayed into the community because all their habitats have been encroached on by the community.
The stray chimpanzees are believed to have come from the degraded forest reserves in Kitoba and Kyabigambire sub-counties.
This is not the first time chimpanzees are causing havoc in Hoima villages.
In January 2020, stray chimpanzees invaded villages in Kyedikyo cell, Bwikya ward in Hoima East division, Hoima City causing fear among residents.
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