THE Government is breeding wild animals and encouraging game hunting by tourists at a fee, the tourism state minister has said. Serapio Rukundo said the aim was to increase the number of tourist sites, the country’s revenue and ultimately improve the welfare of communities living near the sites.
He added that the project being undertaken by the Uganda Wildlife Authority started two years ago at Lake Mburo National Park and Albert Safaris in Hoima district. “We expect to extend the scheme to Karamoja region as well.”
The minister, who was last week appearing before the parliamentary committee on tourism and trade, noted that wild animal breeding and game hunting were more profitable than cattle-keeping.
“Tourists in Kenya or South Africa pay government $12,000 (sh20m) to hunt for wild leopards, which might even be dangerous to the local community,” he said. “If such business is introduced in Uganda, the people will forget Bonna Bagaggawale (Prosperity-for-All) programme.”
However, Rukundo, who was defending his ministry’s budget for the 2008/2009 financial year, said the animals were yet to mature.
“The breeding is going on well. We expect the animals to mature in two years’ time after which the country and the local community will start earning money.”
The revenue from the scheme, he added, would be used to improve the roads inside and leading to the national parks. “The local people would also eat the meat and sell the hides.”
Rukundo said they were breeding kobs, bush pigs, buffaloes, baboons, impalas and wild monkeys.
Soroti Municipality MP Charles Ekemu (FDC) wanted to know who would compensate the communities in case the animals went on rampage.
Rukundo said the Government would pay the people in conjunction with the Wildlife Authority. On game-hunting, Joseph Mugambe (NRM) asked whether the Government would not be violating animal rights or endangering other wildlife such as the birds.
The Government and the authority, said Rukundo, had agreed on the laws regulating game-hunting and the animal species chosen.
