3:47 PM Wildlife In Uganda on the Decline | |
| According to an audit carried out by audits from the Auditor Generals office, wildlife in Uganda is on a fast decline. Some of the species that are faced with the threat of extinction in Uganda are, ostriches, zebras and lions. Last year alone about 25 elephants were massacred in Murchison falls national park area which is a very alarming figure considering that uganda would loss on average about 3 elephants annually. In Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park the number of lions has drastically reduced. Some of the other animal species that are being destroyed at an alarming rate include Ostriches and Zebras. The loss in the number of lions in Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth national park can be attributed to the high number of cattle keepers in and around the national parks. In Lake Mburo national park the number of lions was initially wiped completely however sometimes these magestic creatures sometimes cross in from the Tanzania border into the national park. Lions sometimes look at cattle as easy prey and resort to preying on them instead of hunting for the antelopes and other animals species which are sometimes hard to catch. The officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority when quizzed about the laxity in protecting wildlife said that there is inadequate number of rangers needed to protected the national parks. Currently there are only about 1200 rangers instead of the 3,000 needed to adequately protect the conservation areas that Uganda Wildlife Authority is mandated to protect. Under the Wildlife Act of 2000, Uganda Wildlife Authority is mandated to protect all Uganda's flora and fauna both in protected and unprotected areas. However, there has been a lot of poaching and encroachment into Uganda's national parks. For instance in Mountain Elgon national park alone in Eastern Uganda, there is over 6,000 hectares of land that is under encroachment and most of these are being disputed for in the courts of law. Uganda Wildlife Authority has over 10 national parks in Uganda and about 13 other wildlife reserves that it manages. A recent trip to Murchison falls national park, I found out that game meat can easily be got from the locals around the national park. A few words in the local dialect and you can win over the confidence of the local communities in the national park. Uganda's national parks have been under constant encroachment and poaching. The loss of habitat notwithstanding has led to a drastic decline in some animal species. If the problem is not curbed now it could lead to a total collapse of the tourism in Uganda which is currently the leading foreign exchange earner for the Country. The World Travel and Tourism Council says that tourism brings in lots of foreign exchange for Uganda and it forecasts a good future for the country in the next couple of years. However with wanton poaching and poor management of our natural resources the forecast might not be achieved unless much is done now. Lonely Planet the leading online travel guide voted Uganda the best travel destination for 2012 given its unique tourism attractions. The conservation of Uganda's wildlife should take the same course of action that gorilla conservation has taken. There has been a concerted effort by both government, local and international organizations to help save the mountain gorillas which are critically endangered from extinction. There has been a multi-pronged approach to this with great results. Some of the mountain gorilla families have been habituated and opened up to gorilla trekking tour which is one way of raising the awareness about the plight of these gentle giants. Not only does gorilla tracking raise awareness about the mountain gorillas, for one to do a mountain gorilla tracking, a Uganda gorilla permit fee of $500 dollars is levied on each tourist visiting the gorillas in Bwindi. This money is partly used to help in conservation efforts. | |
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