Case study of a chimpanzee recovered from poachers and temporarily released with wild conspecifics

This case study describes the behavior ofBahati (BA), a captive, wild-born, 4 – 6 yr old, female chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), before and after her temporary release into Kibale National Park, Uganda. Post-release interactions with habituated, wild chimpanzees were recorded.BA was not attacked by the wild chimpanzees at the time of introduction and observations during her period of travel with conspecifics indicate that she received significantly more affiliative contact than aggressive.BA foraged further from humans, glanced less at observers and climbed ever higher in the canopy as the project proceeded.BA associated closely with two wild chimpanzees: a fully adult male and a young juvenile female. In the latter stages of the project, she spent progressively less time in proximity to conspecifics. After six weeks,BA no longer followed wild chimpanzees and repeatedly returned to human settlements. The attempt was terminated after two months andBA returned to captivity. On the basis of this case study, we suggest possible adjustments to re-introduction criteria, and discuss the outcomes of pre-release training, public involvement, and health screening under field conditions.