Location: Fort Portal, Kabarole District Map
Area: 776 km2 (300 mi2)
Kibale National Park or Kibale Forest is a national park in
western Uganda consisting of approximately 560 km² which includes
different habitats: rainforest and semi-deciduous forest, grassland
and swamp. The park is known above all because it contains the
highest variety and concentration of primates in East Africa with 13
species represented, but also for the exceptional avifauna and the
numerous butterflies. Due to these characteristics, the park is also
home to a Makerere University research station.
The park was
founded in 1993 with the aim of protecting an area that had already
been declared a forest reserve in 1932.
The nearest town is
Fort Portal. Kibale is adjacent to Queen Elizabeth National Park,
and the two parks together constitute one of the most important
tourist destinations in the country. Most of the park's
accommodation facilities are managed by local communities and
therefore used by operators specialized in responsible tourism. The
communities that live in Kibale are mainly ethnic Batooro and
Bakiga.
The area was identified as worthy of protection as a registered
forest reserve as early as 1932, but was not designated as a protected
area until 1993. The park forms a contiguous forest reserve with Queen
Elizabeth National Park.
With the designation as a national park
in 2005 and more infrastructure in the area, tourist traffic also
increased.
Uganda colobus monkey in Kibale National Park
Mantle monkey in
Kibale National Park
13 species of primates live in the park. A large
population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) lives in the forests and has
their most important refuge in Uganda here. In addition to the black and
white mantle monkey (also black and white colubus, Colobus guereza), the
Uganda colobus monkey (also red guereza or red colubus, Piliocolobus
tephrosceles) also occurs. Forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and
other large mammals live in the forests.
Since 1987, chimpanzee
behavior has been researched in the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, initiated
by Richard Wrangham.
The butterfly fauna in the area has been the
subject of many years of research.
There is a wildlife corridor
between Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale National Park to ensure
wildlife movement between both areas. To the east of the park lies the
Bigodi wetland sanctuary within the Magombe swamp.
Mammals
The park is renowned for the presence of 13 species of
primates, including:
Cercopithecus ascanius (Congo white-nosed
monkey)
Cercopithecus lhoesti (bearded vervet monkey)
Colobus
guereza (guereza)
Colobus polykomos (black and white colobus)
Galago thomasi (Thomas's galagon)
Lophocebus albigena (mantled
warhead)
Lophocebus ugandae (Uganda warhead)
Pan troglodytes
(chimpanzee)
Papio anubis (green baboon)
Perodicticus potto
(potto)
Piliocolobus tephrosceles (Uganda red colobus)
Among
the other mammals present in the park (about 60 species) we can mention:
Anomalurus derbianus (common anomalurus)
Atilax paludinosus (swamp
mongoose)
Cephalophus callipygus (Peter's duiker)
Cephalophus
harveyi (red duiker)
Civettictis civetta (little owl)
Crossarchus
alexandri (Alexander's cusimanse)
Genet genet (common genet)
Herpestes ichneumon (Egyptian mongoose)
Hippopotamus amphibius
(hippo)
Hylochoerus meinertzhageni (ilochero)
Leptailurus serval
(serval)
Loxodonta cyclotis (African forest elephant; the park is
home to the largest population in Uganda)
Mellivora capensis (honey
badger)
Mungos mungo (striped mongoose)
Nandinia binotata (African
palm civet)
Panthera leo (lion)
Panthera pardus (leopard)
Phacochoerus africanus (warthog)
Philantomba monticola (blue duiker
or blue duiker)
Profelis aurata (African golden cat)
Syncerus
caffer (buffalo)
Tragelaphus scriptus (tragelaphus or bushbuck)
Tragelaphus spekii (sitatunga)
Birds
The avifauna includes 335
identified species, including:
Apalis binotata
Apalis nigriceps
Chlorocichla laetissima
Columba albinucha (white-naped pigeon)
Elminia albiventris
Francolinus levaillantii (red-winged francolin)
Nectarinia bouvieri
Nectarinia minulla
Onychognathus fulgidus
Phylloscopus budongoensis
Pitta angolensis
Pitta reichenowi
Sarothrura rufa (red-breasted rail)
Zoothera piaggiae
Reptiles
Bitis nasicornis (rhinoceros viper)
Invertebrates
The park is
home to a very large and varied population of tropical butterflies (144
identified species).