Semliki Valley, Uganda Semliki Valley, Uganda
(The following is almost verbatim from Kevin Hunt's website, used here with permission.)
The Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve (SVWR) is contiguous with the Semliki Controlled Hunting area to the northwest,
which in turn borders the Semliki National Park. The reserve is predominantly savanna grassland, but since 1970
an increasing area of regenerating thicket woodland and woodland savanna has been noted. One of the major
features of the reserve is the Wasa River, which passes north through the length of the reserve to empty into Lake
Albert. The Wasa has cut a relatively gently sloping 15 m deep gorge into the surrounding plateau, on which can
be found a flora grading from woodland to 25-30 m tall gallery forest in 50-200 m wide strips. A second river, the
Mugiri, supports a lusher flora which includes a 30-50 m tall riverine forest in 100-300 m wide strips. Flowing
into the Mugiri from the escarpment to the east are a number of small streams which also support riverine forests
on their near banks, and woodlands farther away. Because there are many streams, this area supports a varied but
abundant woodland.
Chimpanzees were discovered in the reserve in 1993. The Semliki Chimpanzee Project (SCP) began
in 1995, and initial research on the chimpanzees began in July 1996.
Primary source for the following Site Data is http://php.indiana.edu/~kdhunt/home.html and Hunt, pers. comm.
| Name: | Semliki Valley (formerly Toro) Wildlife Reserve |
| Location: | Uganda (just N of Fort Portal) 0° 50' to 1 05' N, 30° 20' to 30° 35' E |
| Status: | Wildlife Reserve |
| Area: | 548km2 |
| Altitude: | 1200m |
| Temp: | mean minimum daily temperature: 19.6± 1.4° C; maximum: 33.9± 3.0 ° C |
| Rainfall: | 1411 mm (9/1/97-8/31/98) |
| Vegetation: | Mainly Combretum and Borassus palm savanna (dominant savanna woody species are Acacia, Albizia, Piliostigma, Combretum, Stereospermum, Capparis and Balanites) with wide riverine strips of woodland and gallery dominated by Celtis africana, C. intergrifolia, C. mildbraedii, C. brownii, Albizia grandibracteata, A. coriaria, Chrysophyllum spp., Cynometra alexandri, Phoenix reclinata, Beilschmiedia ugandensis, Polyscias fulva, and Cola gigantea.forest |
|
Human influence: |
Nearly absent in the area with chimpanzees Disturbance ratings -- 1, 1, 1, 1?, ? |
|
Closest village: | --- |
|
Species studied: | P. t. schweinfurthii |
|
Population density: | --- individuals per km2 |
| Fauna: | redtail monkeys, blue monkeys, vervets, baboons, black and white colobus, and chimpanzees |
|
Study period: | Recently started |
| Habituation: | 1 of 4 suspected communities showing good progress (initially "wary but curious") |
|
Research presence: | Seasonal? |
| Conservation: | --- |
|
Current research: | Ranging/locomotion and feeding ecology |
| Methods: | --- |
|
Contact person: | Kevin Hunt, Anthropology Department, Student Building 130, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 |
| Habitat photos | --- |
| Maps | --- |
| Aerial photos | --- |
| Bibliography | (This is a new site, not much available yet...) |
| |
| Miscellaneous | Related links |