Conservationists protest UWA killing of lion

Feb 19, 2015

A lion that was shot and killed by rangers of the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Bukanga of Isingiro district in western Uganda has attracted angry reactions from wildlife conservationists

By Gerald Tenywa

 

A lion that was shot and killed by rangers of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in Bukanga of Isingiro district in western Uganda has attracted angry reactions from wildlife conservationists.

 

“I was ready to go and rescue the lion,” said Siefert Ludwig, a Makerere University lecturer and lion expert. “I do not know what circumstances under which the lion was killed.”

 

Jossy Muhangi, the spokesperson for Uganda’s top wildlife agency said the lion was killed by an advance team of rangers from Lake Mburo National Park. He also said a specialized team with skills to dart big game from Queen Elizabeth was expected to dart the animal and relocate it to safety but did not make it in time.

 

“Angry crowds had surrounded the lion and their lives were in danger. So, a decision was made to put down the lion,” Muhangi told New Vision an interview.

 

“We are trying to see how to help those that were injured with medical expenses.

 

The lion, according to the local residents hurt three people, one of them seriously before they run out of patience and mounted a hunt for it.

 

The lion, according to Muhangi could have strayed from Akagera National Park in Rwanda or parts of northern Tanzania and was probably tracing a migratory route for large mammals to Lake Mburo National Park.

 

The migratory route s also referred to as migratory corridors for wildlife are being blocked by human settlements and farmland across the country.

 

Richard Kimbowa, the director of Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development, observed that UWA and environmental agencies should have done better. 

 

“That lion should have been relocated but creation of awareness would help human beings and wild animals to co-exist. Wild animals keep on moving because they need food and water. This is becoming scarce because of Climate Change,” said Kimbowa.

 

Six years ago, a lion was sighted in Lake Mburo National Park a decade after lions were declared extinct in the park. “The lion is doing fine,” according to Ludwig Siefert, a Makerere University lecturer and expert on lion conservation.

 

The killing of the lion in Isingiro comes hot on the heels of another incident at Bwera, Kasese district in which UWA officials killed a calf of an elephant 

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