Where man, beast live as one

By Kalungi Kabuye Lake Mburo National Park is where wildlife meets human beings, and oftentimes the two never get to agree. But in the end it has become a study of how man and animals can co-exist. It all started in 1983 when the Obote government declared the area a national park. The residents, mostly cattle-keeping Hima, were forcefully evicted, all their homes and fields destroyed, and their cattle driven away. There was so much ill-feeling against the park that when the Obote government fell, the people around the park went in and destroyed all the facilities. They brought their cattle back, and re-built their homes and re-planted their fields. In the ensuing resolution of the conflicts, it was decided that 60% of the park area be given back to the people. Concerted efforts were made the park management to teach the communities around it the benefits of wildlife. The result is the best man-animal coexistence in the region. Not only have the residents benefited from the park, they are at the forefront of fighting poaching. They know the people amongst them that poach, and are quick to apprehend them. But first, the story of the lake. According to local legend, a long time ago two brothers, Kigarama and Mburo, lived in a fertile valley. One night Kigarama dreamt that they were in danger. Next morning he told his younger brother of the dream and suggested they move on. But Mburo ignored the advice, and soon after the valley was flooded and he drowned. The lake was named after him, and the hills above after his brother Kigarama. At only 260 square kilometres, lake Mburo is the smallest national park in the country. But it is the nearest to Kampala, being an easy three-hour drive on Mbarara Road. Most of the park is open and wooded savanna, and its variety of habitats, dry hillsides, rocky outcrops, bushy thickets, forests, lakes and swamps are home to a great diversity of plants and animals. Three species of animals–– impala, slender mongoose and bush rat––– are found only exclusively in this park. The very social zebras (the males typically have harems of ‘wives’), the huge waterbucks, the rare roan antelope, and at times leopards abound in the park. If you are very, very lucky you might spot the shy swamp-dwelling sitatunga. All the lions and most of the leopards have been poisoned by the local herdsmen, as have been the jackals and hyenas. Several species have become extinct in the park since the last century. These include the elephant, black rhino, hunting dog and the giant forest hog. There are several tracks visitors follow on game drives. There is the Impala Track where the most common animal is the impala. A running impala is quite a sight to see, as they seem to defy gravity and float in the air. Then there is the Zebra Track, where hundreds of sleek, well-fed-looking zebras graze. Other tracks are the Lake-side Track, the Kigambira Loop (look out for bushbucks and bush duikers), Kaguma/Warukiri Tracks (African hare, dwarf mongoose), Ruroko Track (picturesque kopjes), and the Ruizi Track (impala, zebra, eland). Lake Mburo is the biggest of the 15 lakes in the park. Fishing was at first banned on the lake, but the park management has now established a fishing village where controlled fishing goes on. Park management likes to refer to the ‘only scientific fishing in Uganda.’ Only 32 canoes are allowed to ply the waters of Lake Mburo, and no more than 64 people are allowed to live in the village. No families are allowed. Products are mostly tilapia, catfish, lungfish, and haplochromine fish (enkejje). It is marketed mostly in Masaka and Lyantonde.