Lions chase Rukungiri residents from homes
Feb 21, 2012
BWAMBARA residents in Rukungiri district have accused their leaders of neglecting them as wild animals ravage the area driving them out of their homes
By Patson Baraire
BWAMBARA residents in Rukungiri district have accused their leaders of neglecting them as wild animals ravage the area driving them out of their homes and eating their animals.
According to the area LC3 chairperson Dinah Rwakacaka the latest incident involved a group of lions that invaded Kakoni village in Bwambara and devoured 18 goats forcing the residents to take refuge at the sub county headquaters.
Rwakacaka said that they were first attacked by a heard of elephants from the Queen Elizabeth National Park which were reportedly fleeing bush fires which burnt down half of the park but on saturday two lions emerged out of the park and killed the domestic anaimals.
She said that pleas to Uganda Wildlife Authority officials to protect the people from marauding animals have been fruitless because no response has ever been given.
"Whenever the animals stray out of the park we inform UWA, but this time when we informed them they did not respond," Rwakacaka said.
However an official from UWA Echodu Edyau who is the in charge of Ishasha Sector, last week said blamed the fires on the local people who stat it so that the animals can flee to their areas outside the park and they also get an axcuse to kill them.
"The fires were started deliberately by people who want the animals to get near to them so that they can kill them," Echodu said.
The residents interwied by this reporter however denied starting the fire saying that every dry season the park management starts the fire themselves.
The LC3 Chairpperson said that people living along the park boundary have been sensitised and they know the value of the park animals and they is no way they can plot to harm them.
"These people know the value of the animals and that is why they run away otherwise they would have killed them," She said.
However, Echodu said that they have since instituted a team to drive away animals when ever they stray in non protected area in order to minimise the damage they may cause especially the elephants.