Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire

Have you watched the Chimp Empire on Netflix and now you are interested in Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire “The Chimp Empire” This was headed by Reed, his crew, and a squad of on-the-ground scientists and field trackers who spent over a year shooting the Ngogo chimps in Uganda’s Kibale National Park?

The Ngogo community is the largest known group of chimpanzees in the world, and at the time of filming, it had splintered into two competing factions. The stars of Chimp Empire proved to be elusive, tempestuous, and even downright divas when it came to showing up to set. And the rivalries could get pretty intense.

“Chimps make a lot of noise, so it’s usually fairly straightforward to find them. The difficulty is keeping up with them,” James Reed (co-director of My Octopus Teacher), the director of the four-part docuseries, told Netflix. And that was before the cast started tearing each other limb from limb.

Reed, his crew, and a squad of on-the-ground scientists and field trackers spent over a year shooting the Ngogo chimps in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. The Ngogo community is the largest known group of chimpanzees in the world, and at the time of filming, it had splintered into two competing factions. The filmmakers were present on the front lines for the life-or-death fight for supremacy between the Central and Western groups. Chimp Empire is a nature documentary that feels more like a historical conquest epic or a cutthroat boardroom thriller.

Not that science was left behind. Shot in a remote rainforest setting, Chimp Empire exposes facets of chimp life that have never been seen on film before. (No, not even in that other blissfully revelatory nature show you love to binge.) Given its landmark glimpses into primate life and its viscerally brutal drama, viewers may fairly ask: “How the heck did Chimp Empire get made?” Reed filled us in on the ins and outs of production, from the up-close-and-terrifying chimp interactions to that unforgettable dominance rain dance (if you know, you know).

About Ngogo chimpanzee research project

Ngogo chimpanzee research project is one of the two projects established by the government of Uganda with the help of Donors, ecologists, and conservationists. The government manages the Ngogo research project under Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS). Located in Kibale forest the second largest natural forest in Uganda, Ngogo has not suffered under commercial logging like other parts of the forest.

The history of Ngogo chimpanzee research project dates as far back to 1972 when Thomas Struhsaker of the New York Zoological Society established the Ngogo research area with the main aim of protecting the forest home to the red colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and the grey-check mangabeys from forest loggers.

Since then, Ngogo chimpanzee research center has been utilized by Ugandan students and expatriates to study the behaviors of primates which include chimpanzees.  These students are mentored by Struhsaker and of recent David Watts and John Mitan of Yale and Michigan universities, respectively.

About Ngogo Chimpanzee community

Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire. Long-term research of the Ngogo chimpanzee community in Kibale National Park, Uganda, was started by John Mitani (University of Michigan) and David Watts (YaleUniversity) in 1995. Kevin Langergraber (Boston University & Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) joined the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project as a graduate student in 2001 and as a co-director in 2011. The Ngogo chimpanzee community is by far the largest yet described; as of April 2012, it comprised 188 members, including 32 adult males, 13 adolescent males, 58 adult females, 12 adolescent females, 27 juveniles, and 46 infants.

Much research at Ngogo has focused on explaining the ecological reasons for this unusual demographic situation and its influence on chimpanzee behavior. Past and ongoing topics of study include intra- and inter-sexual social relationships and cooperation, kinship and social relationships, mating behavior and reproductive success, hunting and meat sharing, territorial behavior, and feeding ecology. In addition to following the chimpanzees and recording their behavior, researchers at Ngogo also non-invasively collect urine, feces, and other biological materials for endocrinological and genetic analyses, as well as conduct phenological and botanical studies of the forest ecology.

The Ngogo Chimpanzee Project also employs a team of local Ugandans who work alongside local law enforcement officers (Uganda Wildlife Authority) to collect snares and curtail illegal hunting within the park. They also collect fecal samples for an ongoing genetics-based chimpanzee monitoring program which aims to determine the size, composition, number and location of unhabituated chimpanzee communities within the 800 km2 Kibale National Park.

What is the best time for Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire?

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park is best done in the months of June to October and December to March during this time it is a dry season in Uganda with mild rainfall making it easy for Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park, as well during this time the vegetation is not fully grown and it is easy for viewing the chimpanzees offering great sights for photographs. During the other months of April, May and November which is normally a wet season this makes the vegetations grow high making the sightings unclear however during this time the treks tend to be shorter given the fact chimpanzees don’t move further distances looking for food, food is readily available. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park can be done throughout the year given the fact it is a very well organized activity and you have 99% chances of seeing the Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.

How to access Ngogo

By Road; Ngogo chimpanzees are found in Kibale Forest National Park which can be accessed through the main safari circuit from Entebbe/Kampala to Fortportal which approximately 4-5 hours drive. You can as well access the park through Kampala-Mabara-Kasese highway, from Kasese you will connect to the Kibale Forest with 1-2 hours drive.

By Air; You can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala’s Kajjansi airfield to Kasese airstrip from here you will transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. Scheduled and chartered flights are available and operated by domestic airline operators of Aero link and Fly Uganda. You will need to plan with your tour operator for a transfer from the airstrip to the Park

Where to stay during Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire

There are many accommodation options in Kibale Forest National Park where you can stay during your Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park these range from budget, mid-range to luxury let us now we will book for you accordingly.

Accommodation in Kibale Forest National Park, Budget options include Chimpanzee Forest Guest House, Isunga Lodge, Mountains of the Moon, Rwenzori view Guest House, Kibale Home Stay among others these cost USD90-100 per person per night, mid-range include Kibale Forest Camp, Turaco Treetops Lodge and Prime Lodge Kibale among others these cost USD150-200 per person per night, Luxury options include Ndali Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge and Kyaninga Lodge these cost USD250-700 per person per night.

Why Book your Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park with Eco Adventure Safaris

Eco Adventure Safaris and its team bring you closer than ever to the wonders Uganda and Rwanda have to offer. From Gorilla trekking to the chimpanzee habitation in Kibale, cultural tour across Rwanda and city tours, we have everything you need to make your first or occurring experience in the region a memorable one. Click here for a complete list of our entire packages, and in case you have any questions, please click here to get in touch with us about Visiting Ngogo Chimpanzees Filmed in Netflix Movie Chimp Empire.