| Late 1993, early 1994: | SCP founder and director Hunt publishes two articles on his research on Tanzanian chimpanzees (K.D. Hunt 1993. The mosaic lifeway of the early australopithecines: piecing in some fragments from the world of the chimpanzee. Anthroquest 47: 3–7; K.D. Hunt 1994. The evolution of human bipedality: ecology and functional morphology. Journal of Human Evolution 26: 183-202) suggesting that dry habitats place selective pressure on apes to harvest fruits bipedally, leading to the evolution of bipedalism. |
| 1994 | Hunt explores the possibility of studying dry-habitat chimpanzees at the Semliki Wildlife Reserve; contacts Jonathan Wright, bidder for a Semliki tourism concession. |
| October, 1995 | Hunt and Wright agree agree to cooperate, should Wright’s bid be accepted by UWA |
| July, 1996 | Hunt submits research proposal to Ugandan authorities, including a proposal for a three-room research station in the chimpanzee range |
| July 7-October 5, 1996 | Hunt’s first research stint at Semliki |
| July 12, 1996 | Hunt's first chimpanzee observation in Mugiri gallery forest, at M1.7 |
| July 16, 1996 | Hunt observes a juvenile male at Mugiri for 48 minutes |
| August, 1996 | Three local staff are hired to slash trails (Esmail Obur, Eriik Kasutama and Karamajong Kule); trail construction begins |
| August 1996 | Survey of reserve finds chimpanzees at Muzizi and Nyabaroga, in addition to those known at Wasa and Mugiri |
| September | First project vehicle purchased, a 1987 Suzuki Jimny (Samurai) |
| Late September, 1996 | Assistant Rachel Weiss arrives to continue research and habituation initiative. |
| Early 1997 | Hunt receives US $19,000 National Science Foundation Grant to conduct research at Semliki |
| June 16, 1997 | ADF rebels attack Local Defense Forces and UPDF in Bundibugyo, 20 km from the reserve, killing scores; research suspended for the first time. Hunt’s assistant returns to US |
| July 10, 1997 | Hunt and UWA game guards return to Semliki |
| July 1997 | Hunt observes chimp leave night nest for first time |
| July 1997 | As trails reach upper escarpment, 60 snares removed over month-long period; afterward, fewer poachers seen in reserve |
| August 12, 1997 | Hunt observes chimp digging drinking well; first observation of this phenomenon anywhere |
| August 20, 1997 | Hunt meets with local government and UWA boundary committee to appeal to include Nyabaroga chimpanzee habitat in reserve; ultimately 5 sq. km were added |
| August 31, 1997 | Climate monitoring begins (min-max temp, humidity, rainfall and cloud cover) |
| September, 1998 | Jim Latham takes over as APD |
| January 27, 1998 | Hunt returns for third stint at reserve |
| February 9, 1998 | Hunt follows chimp to night nest for first time |
| February 10, 1998 | Hunt unnests same female |
| February 15, 1998 | Hunt observes an individual adult male for 144 minutes |
| March, 1998 | Chief Warden John Makombo receives information that a juvenile chimpanzee was speared in a shamba at the top of the escarpment |
| June 9, 1998 | ADF burn dormitory in Kichwamba contiguous to reserve; 40 students die |
| July 1998 | With completion of Kyankara trail, trail system virtually complete |
| September 4, 1998 | Game Guard George Tuhairwe encounters a lion in the chimpanzee range, at Main Entrance |
| March 2, 1999 | Eight tourists killed at Bwindi in southern Uganda; US Peace Corps pulls out of Uganda; NALU declares westerners murder targets |
| March 10–21, 1999 | Hunt on brief visit; nests chimpanzee at site of proposed Research Center on March 16 |
| March, 1999 | Hunt receives US $109,000 National Science Foundation Grant to continue research at Semliki |
| March, 1999 | First publication on Semliki research, an abstract (K.D. Hunt, A.J.M. Cleminson, J. Latham, R.I. Weiss and S. Grimmond. 1999. A partly habituated community of dry-habitat chimpanzees in the Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve, Uganda. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. Suppl. 28: 157.) |
| May, 1999 | ADF rebels attack Kibale National Park; 4 killed; Assistant James Fuller continues research at Semliki uninterrupted |
| July, 1999 | Hunt submits formal proposal with architectural plans for research station. Plans rejected a year later as too high impact |
| November 8, 1999 | The first ADF encounter on research trails; research suspended for 2 days; UPDF declares ADF routed, reserve safe |
| November, 1999 | James Fuller completes mapping of Mugiri trail system just as his six month tenure ends |
| Dec. 9, 1999 to Jan. 1, 2000 | Research suspended due to ADF incursions |
| January, 2000 | Description of research initiative published (K.D. Hunt. 2000. Initiation of a new chimpanzee study site at Semliki-Toro Wildlife Reserve, Uganda. PanAfrica News. 7 (2): 14-16.) |
| February 4, 2000 | Three army personnel killed by ADF near lodge |
| Feb. 4–Dec. 18, 2000 | Research largely suspended due to ADF incursions. Local employee Okech Obur continues sporadic observation; climate data collection continues uninterrupted |
| May 10, 2000 | ADF, UPDF battle in research trail at M2.1 |
| May 11, 2000 | ADF leader captured on research trails at “Obur’s Entrance” |
| August, 2000 | Hunt visits; six hours of observation entire month |
| May 12–15, 2001 | ADF-UPDF battles continue on research trails; ADF routed to north |
| May 17, 2001 | Ex-pat Assistant Teague O’Mara enters Semliki to continue research |
| May 27, 2001 | Assistants Teague O’Mara and Okech Obur observe a group for nearly 9 hours (528 minutes) |
| Jun 23-July 27, 2001 | Hunt on eighth visit to reserve |
| August 20, 2001 | UPDF explodes ordnance in chimpanzee research habitat, later reporting they were disposing old explosives; no ADF or other hostile forces involved; chimpanzee sightings drop off dramatically |
| November 20, 2001 | 10-15 rocket propelled grenades launched from the escarpment into reserve to “scare away rebels.” |
| November, 2001 | Assistant Teague O’Mara completes belt transects sampling species composition in the Mugiri habitat |
| April, 2002 | First publication of significant data from Semliki research (K.D. Hunt and W. C. McGrew. 2002. Chimpanzees in dry habitats at Mount Assirik, Senegal and at the Semliki-Toro Wildlife Reserve, Uganda. In: Behavioural Diversity in Chimpanzees and Bonobos, C. Boesch, G. Hohmann and L.F. Marchant (eds.) Cambridge University Press, pp. 35-51.) |
| May 28-Jun 18, 2002 | P.I. Hunt visits Semliki, dismisses assistants Brady and Brattstrom; their tenure marked the worst observations in the history of research at Semliki, not excepting the first month the project was initiated. |
| August, 2002 | New proposal for research station submitted, consisting of low-impact bandas, with waste water and other impacts considered; proposal is rejected as too high-impact. |
| July-December 2002 | Christopher Wade serves as on-site researcher. Minutes of observation rebound somewhat to near 200, which is average for minutes of observation over the last few years. |
| Dec. 2002-June 2003 | Assistant David Inglis takes over as APD; after a poor January, in February Inglis notches well over 300 min. of observation. |
| May, 2003 | New tented camp reasearch station proposed. |
| July 2003 | Hunt visits; several 2, 3 and 4 hour observations |
| July 16, 2003 | Moses Mapesa approves research station. |
| July 23, 2003 | Warden Bernard Akunda approves Research Camp location at Mugiri 2.1; clearance comes July 29 after both meet. |
| July 25. 2003 | Former Safari Lodge Manager Clint Schipper contracted to supervise construction of Research Camp |
| Aug 2003-July 2004 | No research, as dwindling funds are dedicated to camp construction |
| Oct. 2003-March 2004 | Schipper erects 2 tent platforms, blocks out other sites. One tent in place. |
| July 2004 | P.I. Hunt visits. Buys second tent. Camp minimally functional. Funding application made to Heritage Oil Company. |
| August 2004 | Heritage Oil Company provides a year of support |
| Nov. 2004-May 2005 | Assistant Jim Reside term; finishes second platform, builds kitchen/dining room, erects third tent, establishes water supply, installs solar, builds toilets and shower, continues habituation |
| June 2005 | P.I. Hunt visits, installs fourth tent, buys beds, mosquito nets, tables and other furnishings |
| June 2005 | Assistant Carmen Vidal begins tenure as on-site researcher |
| July-Dec. 2005 | Observation time hits new high 25 hours/month, 40 hours in July |
| July 31, 2005 | Carmen Vidal logs an 11 hour follow |
| November 2005 | Funding source, Heritage Oil Corporation, pulls out |
| February 11, 2006 | Assistant Jess Tombs on site until July, averaging 17.2 hours of observation, including a June total of 42 hours, a new record. |
| April, 2006 | Tombs oversees installation of thatch on tent platforms |
| June 2006 | Hunt visit unremarkable except for one 8 hour follow |
| July, 2006 | Assistant Alissa Jordan on site until December; averages 21 hours of observation, including a December total of 47 hours, a new one-month record. |
| June, 2006 | Hunt visits with first outside ape research specialists to visit site for extended period, Linda Marchant, Bill McGrew and Jim Moore |
| December, 2006 | Jordan finishes term; funds are exhausted. Skeleton crew remains to maintain trails and support UWA rangers |
| May, 2008 | Hunt obtains funding from IU, project restarted |
| June, 2008 | David Samson manages camp as Assistant Project Director of SCP |
| June, 2008 | First substantial influx of volunteers and researchers, with six visiting camp over a two month period. |
| May, 2008 | Hunt visits with student David Samson |
| July, 2008 | Tim Webster takes over as APD; McGrew and Webster observe for the first time honey eating and insectivory |
| Dec. 2008-June 30, 2009 | Rene Johnson APD |
| June 2009 | Maggie Hirschauer takes over as Assistant Project Director |
| June, July, 2009 | KDH identifies four new males, bringing total to 21; Hunt, Hirschauer log 10 hour follow, working in shifts |
| June-December 2009 | Hirschauer averages 16 hours of observation per month, twice in the previous six months |
| 2010 | KDH updates IDs: now 23 males |
| Jan.-June 2010 | Caro Deimel APD. Number of males possibly as high as 29 |
| June-Dec. 2010 | David Samson APD, and Holly Green at site until Jan. 2011. During Samson's tenure we see the first use of dogs by poachers. It will be nearly a decade before we find out why chimpanzees become so timid and difficult to observe when dogs are seen in the forest. |
| October 31, 2010 | Porter Moses Comeboy severely injured by charging buffalo |
| Jan.-Apr., 2011 | APD Barbora Kubenova |
| April-Oct 2011 | Will Symes takes over as new APD |
| July, 2011 | Six researchers in camp, including Joel Bray, Abby Kearny, Hector Manthorpe, Austin Senteney and APD Will Symes |
| Oct. 2011-Apr. 2012 | The price of ivory skyrockets, increasing poaching pressure on elephants in the reserve, endangering primates as well. |
| May-July, 2012 | APD Jeremy Borninger takes over in a pinch and holds things together until Hunt arrives. |
| June, July, 2012 | KDH surveys evidence of increased poaching; welcomes new APD. |
| July-Oct 2012 | New APD Kevin Rolnick finds increased evidence of elephant poaching. Chimpanzee observations still low. Rolnick contracts malaria and suffers other health problems, necessitating his departure in October. |
| Oct-Dec 2012 | Camp Manager Moses Comboy serves as interim APD. |
| Jan 2013 | Corey Mitchell serves as APD January to June |
| 2014 | May: Luke Louden takes over after a truncated APD-tenure and serves until late November |
| 2015 | Katie Gerstner serves as APD through to May |
| 2015 | Benjamin Lake APD through May through October |
| 2015 | Wendy Craft serves as APD through to March, 2016; she is in the forest as much as anyone ever, but the dogs continue to worry the chimpanzees |
| 2016-2018 | Work carries on with local staff |
| 2019 | Jaycee Chapman on site first half of 2019 |
| 2019 | Steven Wade supervised 2nd half of year |
| 2020 thur March | Amalie Svanholm takes over, but COVID-19 provokes evacuation |
| 2020 | Local staff are locked down in camp, take extreme precautions |
