The Kibale Chimpanzee Project is based in Kibale National Park, just east of the Ruwenzori Mountains in southwestern Uganda. The park, established in 1993, and managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, encompasses 795 square kilometers of primarily moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forest. Kibale’s rich ecosystem is highlighted by diverse populations of birds, butterflies, and mammals, including 13 primate species. Kibale is home to more than 1200 East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Five chimpanzee communities have been fully or partly habituated to humans for research or tourism (see map below). KCP focuses on the Kanyawara community, which comprises 50-60 chimpanzees ranging in the northwestern section of the park. The Ngogo Chimpanzee Project (directed by John Mitani, David Watts, and Kevin Langergraber), follows two communities (previously a single community) located in the center of the park. A fourth community, at Kanyanchu, has been habituated for tourism, and a final group, in the northern part of the park, is being studied by the Sebitole Chimpanzee Project.
KCP is housed in the Makerere University Biological Field Station, which supports a wide range of research on biodiversity and conservation. Other long-term studies located at MUBFS include the Kibale EcoHealth Project, the Kibale Fish and Monkey Project, and the Primate Ecology and Nutrition Project.
Kibale Chimpanzee Project 