UWA approves Hoima game hunting deal
May 02, 2004
INSPITE of the 1979 ban on hunting wildlife in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has approved plans to expand another pilot project to promote commercial trophy hunting around the Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve in Hoima.
By Alfred Wasike and Gerald Tenywa
INSPITE of the 1979 ban on hunting wildlife in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has approved plans to expand another pilot project to promote commercial trophy hunting around the Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve in Hoima.
But Zwilling Safaris, an Austrian company that had applied for the hunting concession and estimated that it would raise an income of US$25,000 per year, has mysteriously pulled out of the hunting deal.
Maintaining that the hunting ban was still in force, UWA executive director Dr. Arthur Mugisha said Zwilling had opted out of the deal with UWA.
Mugisha said, “Zwilling has opted out of the deal with us. They say they have got a better deal with the Congolese.†He did not elaborate.
Zwilling director Peter Pichler was not available for comment.
The animals to be hunted include waterbuck, hippopotamus, oribi, bushbuck, buffaloes in the 230 square-kilometre of dry thicket, grass savannah and woodland on the eastern side of Lake Albert.
Most of the animals were wiped out in the Idi Amin era, leading to the ban in 1979. Cattle keepers also recently invaded the area, which has further degraded the habitat.
UWA and Game Trails, a Ugandan company, have for the last three years been hunting zebra, topi, impala, baboons, buffaloes and others in the ranches around Lake Mburo national park in western Uganda.
The New Vision has learnt that the project has been extended for another three years. Hunting expeditions have raised more than sh100m. Local communities got 65% of the funds to build two primary schools, a health centre and a livestock watering dam in Rurambira Parish on the fringes of the park.
UWA got 25% of the money, sub-county authorities shared 5% and the community protected areas institutions took 5%. It is not clear how much Game Trails got.
Mugisha insisted, “We shall not allow hunting in the national parks.
We are managing a pilot project on the ranches around Lake Mburo National Park. If it is successful we will start hunting projects in areas that have high wild animal populations like Luweero, Nakaso-ngola and Mubende.â€
He said, “Wildlife outside the national parks is protected on paper but poachers kill animals.
One of the things we are doing is adding value to wildlife and making it a competitive form of land use so communities and districts benefit and participate in managing wildlife.â€
Mugisha said since Zwilling had pulled out, UWA would contact an American and a South African firm to continue with the experiments.
UWA director of field operation Moses Mapesa said Zwilling had a controversial concession in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve that was given by the Game Department, which UWA refused to renew.
He said, “Zwilling was undertaking activities that were contrary to the conditions of the contract. Local communities benefited from the programme through hunting of problem animals, but Zwilling failed to fulfil what was spelt out in the concessions.â€
He added that UWA had not stopped dealing with Zwilling.
INSPITE of the 1979 ban on hunting wildlife in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has approved plans to expand another pilot project to promote commercial trophy hunting around the Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve in Hoima.
But Zwilling Safaris, an Austrian company that had applied for the hunting concession and estimated that it would raise an income of US$25,000 per year, has mysteriously pulled out of the hunting deal.
Maintaining that the hunting ban was still in force, UWA executive director Dr. Arthur Mugisha said Zwilling had opted out of the deal with UWA.
Mugisha said, “Zwilling has opted out of the deal with us. They say they have got a better deal with the Congolese.†He did not elaborate.
Zwilling director Peter Pichler was not available for comment.
The animals to be hunted include waterbuck, hippopotamus, oribi, bushbuck, buffaloes in the 230 square-kilometre of dry thicket, grass savannah and woodland on the eastern side of Lake Albert.
Most of the animals were wiped out in the Idi Amin era, leading to the ban in 1979. Cattle keepers also recently invaded the area, which has further degraded the habitat.
UWA and Game Trails, a Ugandan company, have for the last three years been hunting zebra, topi, impala, baboons, buffaloes and others in the ranches around Lake Mburo national park in western Uganda.
The New Vision has learnt that the project has been extended for another three years. Hunting expeditions have raised more than sh100m. Local communities got 65% of the funds to build two primary schools, a health centre and a livestock watering dam in Rurambira Parish on the fringes of the park.
UWA got 25% of the money, sub-county authorities shared 5% and the community protected areas institutions took 5%. It is not clear how much Game Trails got.
Mugisha insisted, “We shall not allow hunting in the national parks.
We are managing a pilot project on the ranches around Lake Mburo National Park. If it is successful we will start hunting projects in areas that have high wild animal populations like Luweero, Nakaso-ngola and Mubende.â€
He said, “Wildlife outside the national parks is protected on paper but poachers kill animals.
One of the things we are doing is adding value to wildlife and making it a competitive form of land use so communities and districts benefit and participate in managing wildlife.â€
Mugisha said since Zwilling had pulled out, UWA would contact an American and a South African firm to continue with the experiments.
UWA director of field operation Moses Mapesa said Zwilling had a controversial concession in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve that was given by the Game Department, which UWA refused to renew.
He said, “Zwilling was undertaking activities that were contrary to the conditions of the contract. Local communities benefited from the programme through hunting of problem animals, but Zwilling failed to fulfil what was spelt out in the concessions.â€
He added that UWA had not stopped dealing with Zwilling.