My Story

Kazahukire

It’s so hard to imagine a chimpanzee getting lost in a forest but I did and it took a whole four hours to find me.

I was barely five years old when it happened, my care givers came up with a grand idea of integrating me with the others, at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) on 24^th August 2002 where Nakuu and Nani came to welcome me in the car but I preferred to play alone.

I wanted to enter the forest and see the other Chimpanzees as soon as possible but Luke one of the care givers constantly stopped me from going far. That sparked my imagination and within a moment’s lack of visual contact, I disappeared into the forest in search of the other Chimpanzees.

Unfortunately I never got to find them, I went round and round and round and I couldn’t find the other Chimpanzees. Meanwhile Katie, Kylie and Luke did their rounds around the forest bewildered.

Katie saw me 200 meters away in the forest but by the time she found the others to tell them I had already disappeared further in the forest. When I realized I couldn’t find the others, my young chimp heart started beating faster than usual but I persisted in moving around until at around 5:00pm after endless hours of wondering about, I wondered back down the road.

Hungry and tired from walking, much to Luke’s relief I ate several bananas and initiated a little play with Nani who I had ignored earlier shortly before going to sleep.

No wonder my name Kazahukire means ‘lost one’ in Runyoro. I had to get lost in the forest at one point in life to truly own being called the lost one.

Do you want to know how many other times this lost one has really gotten lost in the forest since 2002, find me at Ngamba Island.

1000 Pant Hoots

Kazahukire