China chimp deal

[Guest guest]

The New Vision, Kampala, Uganda, 24 January 2004

 

Note: John Nagenda is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Uganda

Wildlife Authority

 

ONE MAN'S WEEK: UWA has considered the fate of the chimps

 

By John Nagenda

 

The Uganda Wildlife Authority has come under considerable small-arms fire

through its decision to gift three chimpanzees to the Chinese people.

Expect the noise to get louder. You might laugh that among the attackers is

the Jane Goodall Institute, who brought into our country a diseased

chimpanzee (or possibly three) last year from Tanzania.

The consequences could have proved disastrous to our wildlife population.

As it was, a man was savaged by one of the animals, losing body parts, and

the people of Entebbe went in fear of their lives before the chimps were

rounded up and put down. It makes you chary of taking just any advice, but

people love giving it!

On this chimp saga there has been a flood from the liberal (and some not

so liberal) white community who think it their right to lecture the rest of us.

Even when their advice is not erroneous or malicious; what sticks in the

craw is attitudinal, and often insulting. Indeed in meeting a trio of these

in my UWA office they drove usually mild Executive Director Arthur Mugisha

to exclaim, " Why don't you give advice to Africans and let them make their

own decisions? " Precisely! What's all this fuss about anyhow?

As the Vision put it on their front page article, " Chimps to China " : " The

Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (probably they meant the

Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry) is to export three chimpanzees to

China by March 2004. " False, no date has been finalised.

Then wrote, " The proposal could lead to fears that Uganda's name as a

protector of great apes could be tarnished with a consequent loss of to " to

tourism and donor funding. " Reach me my puke bowl, Beulah! How would " loss

of tourism and donor funding " follow the export of three chimps to China?

This is the line prepared by our advice givers, including one who went as

far as to say that his organisation would recommend the stopping of funding

to Uganda. Poor soul, he would prove the one short of funds for his

research. But this line is swallowed hook line and sinker by the sometimes

silly Vision!

And how would the fund stoppage have benefited the remaining chimps after

the three had gone? As for the loss of tourists, which is plainly absurd,

were that to be the case I suppose out of 1.3 billion Chinese we might find

replacements?

The truth is that the Chinese asked for some of our chimps and behold we

found their wish good; but told them there would be many conditions to be

met before this could happen.

For example, what would be the conditions under which the animals lived?

We were told a new facility would be built. We would inspect this. Were the

chimps to be used for scientific research? No. We will also ask, following

what purports to be new evidence received on Chongsa Zoo this Wednesday,

whether the chimps will be trained for entertainment. We would never agree

to them being treated like this. UWA appointed a committee to look into all

this. It is still sitting.

Others wonder why send these animals to China at all? But the world

belongs to us all, as we remind donors when they puff their chests. Share

what you have. Why not three chimps to China? Besides, China has shared

with us, including financially. We may be poorer than some, but our Ugandan

hearts are rich. You do something for me, I'll do likewise, to my best.

Three chimps! It is a small matter in all conscience. If conditions are

fulfiled to Ugandan satisfaction, it shall be done.