“…because I really wished to see the chimpanzees. Now I am here and I saw the chimpanzees. I am very happy about that and the very warm welcome.” is the comment that Saidi Atoub Saidi, a pupil of the Katumbi Primary School (Grade VI) wrote in our guest book.
Yesterday, for the third time this year, we had another 30 pupils of the Katumbi Primary School in camp, thanks to Nomad Trust’s program Watoto Go Wild. Katumbi is the close by village just outside the National Park, however most of the kids never have been inside the park and only heard about the chimpanzees from their grandparents or parents. It is not surprising we saw a lot of shining eyes when they arrived early in the morning in camp. After a solid breakfast we went to see the chimps. It is unbelievable, but as in former occasions, it seemed the chimps knew that this day was so important for the kids and stayed just a 20 minutes walk away from camp.
Even the weather was on our side, just when we arrived back in camp it started raining, which didn’t affect anyone's mood at all, it was time to have lunch anyway. After that the kids wandered around camp and learned about our daily routines. They were eager to learn as much as possible and asked a lot of questions, about the chimps, the company, the camp, the environment and the National Park. Probably the most surprising one, hearing it from a 12 year old, was why chimpanzees haven't evolved like humans, given that we are that close in our DNA. The guide, trackers and ourselves had to throw in all our knowledge to answer this one. But the question that really put a smile on our faces was: “what do one need to do to get a job with Nomad?” Guess the next generation is on its way!
A huge thank you to the Nomad Trust for supporting Watoto Go Wild, to TANAPA and Hussein, the TANAPA guide who did a brilliant job in teaching the kids about nature and the chimps, and last but not least to our team who again put in all their efforts to make this day really special for everybody!
