Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has directed Tourism Minister Tom Butime to establish a safe corridor around Lake George for communities to collect water away from man-eating crocodiles. Her directive followed concerns by Kitagwenda County MP Abbas Agaba about reports that crocodiles have …
Read More »Chimpanzee attacks signal a looming disaster in the Albertine graben
COMMENT | Joseph Mukasa Ngubwagye | On Thursday, July 2, 2020, a one-year-old baby was attacked by a chimpanzee, biting its genitals off. The incident happened in Bulemwa village, Bujumbura Division, Hoima district. Reports indicated that the baby’s mother and a friend were out in the garden digging when this …
Read More »Poaching up under COVID-19 lockdown
Park communities join organised criminals for survival as absence of tourist dollars spreads poverty Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Poaching in Uganda’s national parks has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period last year, say officials at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the national conservation agency. …
Read More »Queen Elizabeth national park communities reject survey report
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Busunga Village, in Kasese District on Thursday rejected a survey report from the Ministry of Lands. The survey was conducted by the ministry to harmonize park boundaries before Queen Elizabeth National Park erects an electric fence on the 21 Kilometer stretch along Kasese-Kikorongo. …
Read More »Queen Elizabeth Park to use ‘Bomb Pistols’ to control stray animals
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese District has launched the use of bomb pistols to stop game animals from straying into communities. A bomb pistol makes a loud sound simulating a gunshot and release smoke. The development follows a public outcry by communities about the …
Read More »Lands Ministry starts opening of Queen Elizabeth National park boundaries
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Lands and Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) have commenced surveying and opening of boundaries between Katwe-Kabatoro town council and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese district. The exercise started with the validation of the 1952 geodetic reference frames made up of …
Read More »Conservationists demand tougher penalty for silverback Rafiki’s killing
Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Conservationists and tour operators in Kigezi sub-region have condemned the killing of one of Uganda’s silverback Mountain Gorilla’s known as Rafiki. Rafiki who was thought to be 25 years old went missing on June 1 and his body was discovered a day after at …
Read More »Queen Elizabeth registers increasing cases of poaching in lockdown
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The management of Queen Elizabeth National park has raised a red flag over the increased cases of poaching in the park since the nationwide lockdown was announced in March this year. Although Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA stepped up security and foot patrols in the park following …
Read More »UWA suspends boat trips on Murchison falls as River Nile burst banks
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA has temporarily suspended tourist boat trips to some part of Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya and Masindi districts after River Nile burst its banks. In a press statement issued on Monday morning, UWA says the rising water level has submerged …
Read More »Conservationists want UWA to take over Echuya forest reserve
Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Conservationists in Rubanda and Kisoro districts want Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA to take over Echuya Central Forest Reserve. The forest that is shared by Rubanda and Kisoro districts is under National Forestry Authority-NFA after it was gazetted in 1939. Conservationists argue that once the forest is …
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