Iconic male chimpanzee Asega, 28, died on Wednesday after sustaining blunt force trauma in the head, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary management has revealed.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, the management said Asega was “found lying unresponsive in the sleeping chimpanzee facility on Ngamba Island” and preliminary post-mortem results indicated “the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, with sudden death.”
Management explained the incident likely occurred during the chimps’ normal morning activity.
“On the morning of the 24th, there was a short but heavy downpour at about 6:30am, and as usual, the male chimpanzees were swinging around thumping against used tyres and platforms in the sleeping structure as is their normal behavior,” the statement reads.
Asega “was particularly known for this and very agile and athletic about swinging from hanging tyres in acrobatic moves, often including summersaulting, etc. It believed to have possibly missed a step resulting into collision of his head with the concrete floor.”
Rescued from Arua in 1998, Asega was a high-ranking male known as “the acrobat” for his ability to jump over 3m fences. His prowess “prompted the construction of a special high-security fence for him and his closet colleague, Mawa, in 2023,” management noted.
“The trust added that “Asega’s story will continue to serve as a poignant example of the urgent need for conservation efforts and the invaluable work of sanctuaries like Ngamba Island.”
Ms Dorothy Basemera, Communication and Marketing Officer at Chimpanzee Trust, said Asega’s death is a blow to the sanctuary.
‘Asega’s death has shocked us because we are worried about how Mawa will survive without him. They were very close,’ she said.
She added that Mawa may struggle to adjust to the rest of the group: ‘What we will do to support him is identify other chimps he can bond with and keep him company.’ Basemera noted burial arrangements for Asega will be communicated soon.
Located 23 kilometers southwest of Entebbe on Lake Victoria, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established in 1998 to care for chimpanzees rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and other threats. The center currently provides a safe haven to 55 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees saved from poaching, deforestation, and human-wildlife conflict.