With the chimpanzees here in Semliki being only semi-habituated to human observers, and with the multitude of hiding places and difficult terrain making them so hard to find, we can go long stretches here with nothing but brief glimpses of our study subjects.
Despite the frustration of walking many miles for days on end with chimpanzee sightings few and far between, the scenery on the walks is always beautiful and there is always something of interest to be discovered on our forest visits, even without a glimpse of the much sought after chimpanzees.
For a start there are several other primate species to be found here, most of which we see on a daily basis. Black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys are seen regularly as are the ever-noisy baboons. There are also vervet monkeys here in Semliki, though these are typically found in the savannah.
Many other animals besides the primates are seen on our forest visits. Beautiful birds flit between the branches and butterflies in an array of dazzling colours flutter past us on the trails. We have also had glimpses of a lone waterbuck in the savannah and of a large spotted genet (a small wildcat) peering out from a cluster of palm trees. Glistening dung beetles are often seen hard at work and giant millipedes are regularly spotted along with spiders and the occasional snake.
Today we were even lucky enough to see a baby mongoose, nestled within its den in the hollow of a tree. After a quick peek and a couple of photographs we left it to be reunited with its mother, that we could hear calling to it from the nearby thicket.
Animal encounters like these ensure that our forest visits are never dull, even when the chimpanzees continue to evade their chasers. The Semliki Valley is truly a fantastic place with many fascinating inhabitants!
Written Saturday 25th July
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