UGANDA’S OLDEST CHIMPANZEE ‘ZAKAYO’ DIES AT 54

The 54 year old male chimpanzee famously called Zakayo who lived at Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe unfortunately passed on 26 April 2018 making him the oldest captive chimpanzee. He believed to have died of chronic gastroenteritis also known as stomach flu and because of his old age, he became very susceptible to any kind of infectious disease. Zakayo was a dominant male chimpanzee at UWEC and nurtured 2 (two) Alpha males-Matooke who led the troop till 2013 and Aluma who succeeded from 2013 up to date. He lived at UWEC for about 42 years.

Zakayo was rescued on 10^th June 1964 from Semuliki Valley National Park, southwestern Uganda when he was about one year old. He was discovered by a white man in Bundibugyo district who then raised him till his 14^th year when he was handed over to Entebbe Zoo where he survived until he passed on. He was an alpha male from 1970-2011 and then handed over his leadership to Matooke. Zakayo was believed to be a peace maker at Entebbe and passed on as a highly respected member of the 18 UWEC chimpanzees.  The lifespan for chimpanzees at captivity goes up to 60 while those in the wild can live up to 45 years. This is really a big blow to Uganda's tourism sector. May his soul RIP!!