The National Coat of Arms is one of the symbols of independence. On it, is a kob, (Adenota kob Thomasi), supporting the shield on the left-hand side, with the crested crane on the right side.

In this protracted coverage of the national symbols, we looked at the Coat of Arms. Rita Mukasa writes about the Uganda kob and its position in the national symbols. While the crested crane is a national bird, the kob is not as revered.

The Uganda kob is one of the distinctive features on the Court of Arms. It beautifully supports the shield that stands with it on the green mound.

Francis William Ruhinirwa, the education officer at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), says the Uganda Legislative Council adopted the Coat of Arms shortly before independence.

It was approved by Sir Walter Fleming Coutts, the last Governor of Uganda on October 1, 1962.

The kob, which is on the right-hand side of the Coat of Arms, was chosen to represent the abundant wildlife in this country.

“The decision to include the Uganda kob must have come from England. It must have been premised on the fact that the kob is among the most abundant mammals in Uganda,” Ruhinirwa says.

When Winston Churchill praised the beauty of Uganda, he could not believe the abundance of kobs.

In 1907, while touring Africa, the man who later became Britain’s prime minister described Uganda as the ‘Pearl of Africa.’

He was moved by Uganda’s exquisite landscapes and people. He wrote in My African Journey that: “For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life — bird, insect, reptile, beast — for vast scale — Uganda is truly the Pearl of Africa.”

Advising his countrymen, Churchill added: “The kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa...what message I bring back...concentrate on Uganda.”

POPULARITY

An assessment by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in 2017 estimated 74,702 kobs to be present in Uganda. In fact, on both game drives; morning or evening, around Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls and Kidepo Valley National Parks, tourist see more kobs than other animals.

In March, the executive director of UWA, Sam Mwandha, flagged off the translocation of 200 kobs from Murchison Falls conservation area to Kidepo Valley conservation area.

The exercise involved 170 females and 30 males so as to increase on the kob population found in Kidepo Valley National Park.

Joshua Sserunkuuma, a guide with Classic Tours and Travel concurs, adds that even in game reserves such as Karuma and Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre, kobs are more prevalent thanks to their high reproduction rate.

Asked why the kob is not as revered as the crested crane among the national symbols, Runihirwa said both animals are salient features on the national emblem and, therefore, deserve as much protection and dignity. There are stringent laws in place to protect it.

“The Uganda Kob is listed as a protected species in the third schedule of the Uganda Wildlife Act 2019. A person who, without a permit, hunts, sells, buys or is found in possession of a protected species, shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand currency points or life imprisonment or both,” Runihirwa says.

However, Ruhinirwa points to laxity in enforcement of this law. In addition, the fact that the kobs are abundant makes them get viewed as animals of no concern compared to the crested crane, which is highly endangered.

“Nevertheless, the large population should not make the authorities comfortable because if the poaching goes unchecked, the kob will become extinct like it is in other countries,” he said.

The kob is also honoured in the sports arena. The oldest rugby team in Uganda is Kobs Rugby Club. The Uganda Under-23 football team is called The Kobs. It is used as the direct feeder of the senior team, the Uganda Cranes.

The Uganda Kob is also on the logo of the UWA and this antelope appears on every government document and piece of money in this country.

UNDERSTANDING THE KOB

Kobs are a species of antelope that are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. There are two sub-species of Kobs: the Ugandan kob (Kobus kob thomasi), and the Defassa Kob (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa).

The Ugandan kob is endemic to Uganda and is found only in a few protected areas, including Murchison Falls National, Lake Mburo National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.

Ruhinirwa says the Uganda kob is medium-sized with a brown coat, medium-length horns and large ears.

It has a strong resemblance to the impala, but the two are different species and not related at all.

The kob is also different from other sub-species which you would call its relatives because it is generally reddish-brown, but others range from light brown to almost black.

Males are larger than females weighing between 90 to 120kg and can reach shoulder height of 92 to 100 cm.

Females are averagely 82cm to 92cm and can weigh about 63kg.

In Uganda, the kob is known by different names. For example, in Buganda, it is called ensiima and the Bagisu call it Ishisi. Among the Luo, it is Til and in Banyankole, akatsirabo.

Sserunkuuma says, this kob can be found in most of the savannah national parks and game reserves including, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls and Kidepo Valley National Game Parks. The game reserves are Karuma wildlife reserve and UWEC.

Kobs are herbivores and this explains why they prefer open habitats such as grasslands, savanna woodlands and floodplains close to permanent water sources. The national parks provide such habitat.

Besides, the open spaces help them to spot predators such as lions and leopards.

Ruhinirwa says the kobs will at times migrate long distances to find water and pasture. One group in South Sudan is said to travel 150 to 200km during the dry season.

RISK OF POACHERS

Aside from the wild predators, the kobs are also prone to poachers who hunt them down for bush meat despite living in protected national parks and game reserves. This does not protect them from poaching.

As much as the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed kobs as least concern, Ruhinirwa says, it should be noted that they got locally extinct in five African countries. Therefore, Ugandan conservationists should not just fold hands and look on.

“We should not take for granted the large numbers we have but rather ensure stable populations which support other predators that are much sought after by tourists,” he says.

Runinirwa suggests establishing wildlife corridors, creating awareness, law enforcement and visiting conservation areas. Government and stakeholders should undertake drastic measures to conserve the Uganda kob.

SOCIAL GROUPING

 Kobs are organised animals. They live in groups called herds and do not just breed from anywhere. They have permanent breeding grounds called leks where the mating happens. Females will come directly to these areas when on heat.

The lek is usually located at a highly elevated area close to water for safety and convenience.

On the grounds, females gallivant or move around looking for mating partners. It then becomes a competition among males. They engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals as a way of enticing the females.

Ruhinirwa hails the male kob for behaving like a perfect ‘gentleman’. Unlike other antelopes, these males use a softer ‘human’ approach while courting females. No fistfights or brawls but rather they gently convince the females. The male makes soft noises during courtship play and repeatedly whistle through his nostrils after mating. The other territorial males in the breeding grounds always echo this sound.

Still, the males do not force the females to become part of the herd during and after mating but instead, they ‘convince’ her to stay by making those soft noises.

Regardless, males are territorial and competition for the innermost territories is fierce. However, with all the effort invested in marking the territories, they only hold them for only a day or two before turnover. Within a lek, more than 20 kobs defend territories of 15 to 200 metres in diameter each or about 20 to 100 yards.

Back to the herds, they consist of males and females with their calves but sometimes, non-breeding males form their own groups. Kobs can form herds of up to 40 animals and at times, more than 100. A dominant male, who is responsible for protecting his herd from predators and other males usually, leads the herd.

Females are more social than males. This is because males are always suspicious of other males just as it is in humans. They fight to keep dominance over specific areas. If they sleep on job, other males will capture their territory, throwing them in the bachelors’ herds. The kobs protect their dominions through ritual fighting which involves clashing and twisting each other’s horns. If he loses, he is forced out to join the bachelor herds, something that is shaming to a male. Simply put, it bruises his ego.

Usually, when he is thrown out, he goes back on the drawing board and regains strength to take back his territory.

Strong new younger male kobs are constantly challenging holders of territories.