Music stresses animals
Apr 19, 2004
The piercing beat of the long drum reverberates in the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Entebbe
By Charles Musisi
The piercing beat of the long drum reverberates in the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Entebbe.
The beat works the traditional dancers into a frenzy. They stomp, thrust and twist to the rhythms of the throbbing African drums. The drumming is loud and the dancers virile.
Here, under the shade of trees, men, women and children watch the thrilling dancers. The spectators go wild with delight. Every Sunday afternoon, the dancers thrill visitors at UWEC. This is one of the innovations initiated by UWEC to attract more visitors.
“We want to attract more people to the centre,†says Goretti Masadde, the UWEC business and marketing manager. She says visitors get bored watching animals all the time.
One thing she is sure about: the number of visitors to UWEC has increased and so has the revenue. Five years ago, there were 128,577 visitors.
Last year, more than 180,000 people visited the centre. Revenue has also risen from sh90m in 1999 to sh320m in 2003. Nevertheless, many zoo-keepers think the thunderous music is not good for the animals.
“The music causes stress to the animals, which impairs their health,†says a UWEC source. “Too much noise irritates animals, especially if they are not used to it,†he said. But Beti Kamya, the UWEC executive director, disputes the source’s claim.
“A little stress is good for the animals,†she argues. According to Yusuf Katura Matovu, the principal safety inspector, occupational safety and health department, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, “It is possible that loud music can be stressful to animals which are sensitive to such noiseâ€.
One of the veterinarians at UWEC who prefers anonymity, agrees with Matovu. “Too much noise can cause stress to both humans and animals,†he says. “It has not been proved that the music stresses the animals. However, the issue has been raised and is being addressed. If it is proved that it is detrimental to animals, appropriate action will be taken.â€
“On Sundays, it is difficult to see the lion,†says one of the zoo-keepers. “The music disturbs it, so it hides. Peacocks and antelopes also try to move as far from the sounds as they can, but of course they can’t go out of the centre.â€
The zoo-keepers say they have complained to the management about the noise, but it does not seem to bother them to find a prompt remedy for the problem.
“The Business and Marketing department is more interested in making money than the welfare of the animals,†complains one of the zoo-keepers. However, Janat Sennyonga, the public relations officer says the centre is aware of the problem and that the dancers are going to be re-located to the beach where the noise will be minimal. She believes the new projects boost domestic tourism and generate money for running UWEC.
Currently the World Bank funds the centre while the government contributes about 10 percent.
The piercing beat of the long drum reverberates in the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Entebbe.
The beat works the traditional dancers into a frenzy. They stomp, thrust and twist to the rhythms of the throbbing African drums. The drumming is loud and the dancers virile.
Here, under the shade of trees, men, women and children watch the thrilling dancers. The spectators go wild with delight. Every Sunday afternoon, the dancers thrill visitors at UWEC. This is one of the innovations initiated by UWEC to attract more visitors.
“We want to attract more people to the centre,†says Goretti Masadde, the UWEC business and marketing manager. She says visitors get bored watching animals all the time.
One thing she is sure about: the number of visitors to UWEC has increased and so has the revenue. Five years ago, there were 128,577 visitors.
Last year, more than 180,000 people visited the centre. Revenue has also risen from sh90m in 1999 to sh320m in 2003. Nevertheless, many zoo-keepers think the thunderous music is not good for the animals.
“The music causes stress to the animals, which impairs their health,†says a UWEC source. “Too much noise irritates animals, especially if they are not used to it,†he said. But Beti Kamya, the UWEC executive director, disputes the source’s claim.
“A little stress is good for the animals,†she argues. According to Yusuf Katura Matovu, the principal safety inspector, occupational safety and health department, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, “It is possible that loud music can be stressful to animals which are sensitive to such noiseâ€.
One of the veterinarians at UWEC who prefers anonymity, agrees with Matovu. “Too much noise can cause stress to both humans and animals,†he says. “It has not been proved that the music stresses the animals. However, the issue has been raised and is being addressed. If it is proved that it is detrimental to animals, appropriate action will be taken.â€
“On Sundays, it is difficult to see the lion,†says one of the zoo-keepers. “The music disturbs it, so it hides. Peacocks and antelopes also try to move as far from the sounds as they can, but of course they can’t go out of the centre.â€
The zoo-keepers say they have complained to the management about the noise, but it does not seem to bother them to find a prompt remedy for the problem.
“The Business and Marketing department is more interested in making money than the welfare of the animals,†complains one of the zoo-keepers. However, Janat Sennyonga, the public relations officer says the centre is aware of the problem and that the dancers are going to be re-located to the beach where the noise will be minimal. She believes the new projects boost domestic tourism and generate money for running UWEC.
Currently the World Bank funds the centre while the government contributes about 10 percent.