Feeding ecology is the study of the feeding behavior of an organism, hence the study of feeding behavior of wild chimpanzees [pan troglodytes ],they are genetically tested to be the closest relatives of homosapient [human beings] in the sense that we share almost the same DNA ‘’the deoxyribonucleic acid’’ which is the type of nucleic acid in a living cell of an organism which contains the genetic code that transmits the hereditary pattern .In these none human primates the chimpanzees in the recent years have been observed that their feeding behavior is changing [evolving] in the past they could mainly feed on forest stuff like fruits, ,leaves ,tree barks, pith, meat of wild animals like black and white colobus monkey duikers to mention but a few .But in the recent years its being observed that the feeding behavior of some chimpanzees are gradually changing especially in certain communities of chimpanzees bordering human settlements .Although these chimpanzee communities before were seen feeding on certain human food.

OBSERVATION AND STUDY SITE

Rwensama forest reserve is a semi deciduous tropical rain forest located along the western rift valley in Uganda and it Is in the south west of the main Budongo forest central reserve a kilo meter away  its being divided away from the main forest Budongo by a grass land, this forest reserve covers an approximate area of about one hundred twenty seven hectares of protected forest and grass land .the flora and fauna of this forest includes ficus mucuso, afromomum, mala zanah golungensis khaya anthotheka,  maratochloa  klainedoxa gobonesis, funtumia elastic,  measopsis eminii,  costis dubius, maerua duchesnei, black and white colobus monkey red tail monkey blue duikers bush pigs horn bills king fisher respectively to mention but a few .The chimpanzee community in this forest are not habituated, although they are voluntarily semi habituated by themselves  due to frequent interactions in human vicinity .since they are not habituated and  followed  the population is not clearly known but visually can be estimated ranging between thirty to fifty individuals cutting across all ages

The forest reserve is bordered by several villages in the north Marram village to the east Kyempunu village to the west Karongo village and to the south Nyabigoma village, all round the forest reserve the local people practice subsistence farming they grow crops like maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, sugarcanes, ground nuts, millet, beans, papaya carica, mango manifera, avocadoes, jack fruits, and pineapples. Besides growing crops they also rear animals like goats, sheep, pigs, chicken, ducks, pigeons and many others.

DATA COLLECTION

Basically this  data is a brief observational data observed and some recorded when these chimpanzees visits people’s homes to crop raid and a few discussion moment with some people living around the forest reserve carrying out their farming activities and also by eye witness when still young living near this forest reserve chimpanzees would occasionally  visit our home to raid on ripe fruits of mangoes papaya and also loved sugarcane so much maize for only stems not the cobs that is way back in the 1980’s and in the early 1990’s ,Despite of not being a habituated chimpanzee community but due to rampant chimpanzee human interactions the locals have some information on these chimpanzees especially when they come to the villages around this forest reserve                          

Figure 1: A chimpanzee on a pine tree spying on one home if anyone not around then they can go to raid jack

RESULTS  

As far as my observational data is concerned and interactions with some community members it clearly explains that the feeding behavior of these chimpanzees are changing from the formally human fed crops mentioned above to other human crops which the chimps were not seen feeding on before  ,although they still forage on their tropical food stuff and other human food stuff that the chimpanzees would feed on crops like maize for maize stem only and chew as sugarcane over period of time they were seen feeding on fresh corns and even of recent they are seen feeding on dry maize grains on that matter these chimpanzees were not seen feeding on certain human crops for example ripe jack fruits and banana sudo stems but currently the chimps are seen harvesting ripe jack fruits from jack trees applying the same method human use to search for the ripe jack fruits,in the way that they climb up the tree, gentle slaps each growing fruits in the tree once ripe the fruits produces a boom sound implying its ripe and they harvest if not ripe they can’t pluck down the fruit another way humans use to identify ripe jack fruits is by sniffing the fruit each by each once it smells strong nice smell then it is ready, Rwensama chimps also do the same way locals do these chimpanzees seems interesting in the way they voluntarily learn human skills in harvesting fruits in order to survive to elaborate more on that chimpanzees are known of liking ripe yellow bananas but this community of chimpanzees went farther to discover another diet that they can get from banana plant apart from the ripe banana they are seen breaking down the banana plant open the stem and feed on the inner pith which is soft and juicy all these current acts has never been observed by any one of the members of in the above villages .

Like in Rwensama community of chimpanzees another chimpanzee community which is miles away the Sonso chimpanzee community which is habituated for research over many years although they normally go to the nearby villages to crop raid they are never seen harvesting jack fruits not even banana stems but rather the other crops like maize sugarcane mangoes papaya guava though in the center of Sonso territory there are some human fruits like mango trees guava trees jack fruit trees of all Sonso chimps are seen feeding on mango fruits and guava fruits at any fruiting stages  but not jack fruit.

DISCUSSIONS

In my discussion with the local, they said though in the past chimpanzees would forage on some human food stuff as mentioned above but not as much as now that they discovered some new test of human food , hence to them the current chimpanzees are being brought in this forest by whites or some people who are connected to working with chimpanzees .Whereas in my own opinion and observations I think what  has caused all these changes to occur in this chimpanzee community is the rampant human population growth around this forest reserve, resulting in to high population increase around the forest leading in to rampant illegal activities in the forest such deforestation for charcoal burning ,farming building materials timber and so on has caused such a big destruction in this small forest patch which acts as a food store to these pan troglodytes hence forcing them to come in the villages so rampantly looking for alternative  food since there is less and lesser fruiting trees left in the forest  for these chimpanzees to feed on , despite of encroachments and other illegal activities the locals go to the forest  with some food eat and throw some left overs in the forest  like the remains of jack fruit  when chimpanzees comes across picks feeds on hence forcing them to come to the villages looking for more, with the high population around the forest edge farming is going on since we all know chimpanzees learn through imitations, may be several times they have observed the humans harvesting fruits then they also do the same since they have less food in the forest hard way is the only way to go in order to survive , like with banana stems children in the villages around like making playing craft with the  pith of banana stems to the chimpanzees may be looked like something edible hence tried feeding and found it tasty the pith real tests juicy and sugary.

CONCLUSIONS:

With all the changes happening we do not know what will happen in future with this community of chimpanzees in relation to their behavior will they advance forging on other discoveries like farm animals or even farther in to people’s kitchens for their food no one knows.

NOTE: The photos below shows what happens when these chimpanzees leaves the forest reserve in to the villages to crop raid

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