Acting wildlife Authority boss survives buffalo by whisker
Sep 06, 2010
WHAT would you do if you were walking in a national park and encountered a fierce buffalo? Would you run and take cover?
By Gerald Tenywa
WHAT would you do if you were walking in a national park and encountered a fierce buffalo? Would you run and take cover?
James Makombo, the acting executive director at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), found himself in a similar situation last week, but he survived with a minor injury.
He said he was with investors from Serena Hotel on a guided tour of the Pelican Point in Queen Elizabeth National Park when he saw a buffalo hidden in a thicket nearby.
The ranger guarding the group had walked slightly ahead of the group.
“I knew we were in danger. I decided to run in order to divert the attention of the buffalo from the group. My trick worked because immediately the buffalo followed me like a bullet,†Makombo told New Vision on Sunday.
He added: “I went down flat on the ground. Using its horns, it tried to pick me from the ground. I was injured on the left hand as I tried to free myself and went flat again.
The rangers rushed to my rescue and shot it down. On checking the carcass, we discovered a snare that had cut deep into one of its limbs.â€
This, Makombo suspects, could have caused its isolation from the herd.
Buffaloes live in herds, but the old males are forced out by young males. The rejected old males form what is popularly referred to as the bachelor herds and are known to be very dangerous.
Makombo took over from Moses Mapesa who was suspended pending a probe instituted by tourism minister Kahinda Otafiire.
UWA was set up by the wildlife Act in 1996 and manages 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves and 14 wildlife sanctuaries covering 10% of Uganda, according to UWA reports.
WHAT would you do if you were walking in a national park and encountered a fierce buffalo? Would you run and take cover?
James Makombo, the acting executive director at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), found himself in a similar situation last week, but he survived with a minor injury.
He said he was with investors from Serena Hotel on a guided tour of the Pelican Point in Queen Elizabeth National Park when he saw a buffalo hidden in a thicket nearby.
The ranger guarding the group had walked slightly ahead of the group.
“I knew we were in danger. I decided to run in order to divert the attention of the buffalo from the group. My trick worked because immediately the buffalo followed me like a bullet,†Makombo told New Vision on Sunday.
He added: “I went down flat on the ground. Using its horns, it tried to pick me from the ground. I was injured on the left hand as I tried to free myself and went flat again.
The rangers rushed to my rescue and shot it down. On checking the carcass, we discovered a snare that had cut deep into one of its limbs.â€
This, Makombo suspects, could have caused its isolation from the herd.
Buffaloes live in herds, but the old males are forced out by young males. The rejected old males form what is popularly referred to as the bachelor herds and are known to be very dangerous.
Makombo took over from Moses Mapesa who was suspended pending a probe instituted by tourism minister Kahinda Otafiire.
UWA was set up by the wildlife Act in 1996 and manages 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves and 14 wildlife sanctuaries covering 10% of Uganda, according to UWA reports.