ANIMALS from Queen Elizabeth National Park have destroyed over 500 acres of crops in Rubirizi district, local authorities have confirmed.
Dominic Bakesima, the chairperson of Kasisa-Kagogo farmers’ Forum in Kichwamba sub-county, named the most hit villages as Kasisa and Kagogo in Kichwamba sub-county in Katerera county.
The animals, mostly elephants, destroyed banana plantations.
Bakesima said on Thursday that the two villages have gardens for people from the neighbouring villages.
He said they had appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the district leadership for help in vain.
“The locals have threatened to stage a peaceful demonstration and boycott the coming elections if nothing is done to rescue the situation,” Bakesima said.
Dinavensi Ndijunwoha, a farmer in Kagogo village, said the area MP, Gaudiosio Tindamanyire, promised to help fence the areas neighbouring the park two years ago but nothing has been done.
Ndijunwoha said many people deserted farming and were redundant, noting that this was likely to cause famine in the area.
The Kichwamba sub-county LC3 chairperson, Philly Masiko, said over 40 people were admitted in dispensaries for malaria contracted from the park as they were guarding their crops from the animals.
Masiko said over 140 farmers cultivate in the villages near the park. He appealed to the disaster preparedness ministry to provide food to the affected people.
END
Visit our Uganda homes blog
Friday, August 27, 2010
UWA took the right decision on officials
I am not surprised that the managers of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have been suspended and one of them sacked.
There is a public outcry about the way UWA runs its business. I have read about incidents where wild animals are shot by rangers and the public share the meat.
Many people have called UWA to rescue animals without any response. The organisation has no department to help communities that live near protected areas. Many Ugandans have been killed by crocodiles, elephants, buffalos and leopards without any intervention by UWA. UWA had completely lost track.
You can tell this by looking at the organisational structure. A wildlife authority should have at least a laboratory for early detection of diseases like anthrax which has killed many hippos. It should have a very effective veterinary department and a well-equipped capture department that can handle problem animals.
The management of UWA has been putting more emphasis on their personal interest than the interests of Ugandans. I do not blame the UWA board for the steps taken. However, those who are innocent should be called back.
Uganda safari
There is a public outcry about the way UWA runs its business. I have read about incidents where wild animals are shot by rangers and the public share the meat.
Many people have called UWA to rescue animals without any response. The organisation has no department to help communities that live near protected areas. Many Ugandans have been killed by crocodiles, elephants, buffalos and leopards without any intervention by UWA. UWA had completely lost track.
You can tell this by looking at the organisational structure. A wildlife authority should have at least a laboratory for early detection of diseases like anthrax which has killed many hippos. It should have a very effective veterinary department and a well-equipped capture department that can handle problem animals.
The management of UWA has been putting more emphasis on their personal interest than the interests of Ugandans. I do not blame the UWA board for the steps taken. However, those who are innocent should be called back.
Uganda safari
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Zakayo to mark 46th birthday
Preparations to celebrate the 46th birthday of the oldest alpha male Chimpanzee at the Uganda Wildlife Educational Centre are under way. According to officials at the centre, a huge cake has been made for the ageing chimpanzee while its keepers are teaching it table manners for the occasion to be witnessed by UWEC staff, conservationists and students on Saturday.
“The chimpanzee has been trained to use a sharp stick to cut posho in preparation for its birthday,’’ Ms Belinda Atim, the UWEC spokesperson, told Daily Monitor yesterday.
She said the keepers would first talk to invited guests on the importance of chimp conservation while focusing on Zakayo’s history and personality.
“Zakayo will first be let out of the holding facility into the island with Acan, the youngest member of the family and later cut his cake while children invited from various schools sing for him,” said Ms Atim.
She said a few members of the public will get an opportunity to feed Zakayo with fruits while other schools would be singing chimp conservation songs and reciting poems. A quiz competition has also been organised where winners will walk away with various prizes.
Zakayo has been a protective and fatherly primate to young chimps, especially Onapa, Aluma and Shaka. He is ‘married’ to Amina and Ruth and likes spending hours resting, grooming or being groomed by one of his two wives.
If you want to track chimpanzees in the wild click these links;
“The chimpanzee has been trained to use a sharp stick to cut posho in preparation for its birthday,’’ Ms Belinda Atim, the UWEC spokesperson, told Daily Monitor yesterday.
She said the keepers would first talk to invited guests on the importance of chimp conservation while focusing on Zakayo’s history and personality.
“Zakayo will first be let out of the holding facility into the island with Acan, the youngest member of the family and later cut his cake while children invited from various schools sing for him,” said Ms Atim.
She said a few members of the public will get an opportunity to feed Zakayo with fruits while other schools would be singing chimp conservation songs and reciting poems. A quiz competition has also been organised where winners will walk away with various prizes.
Zakayo has been a protective and fatherly primate to young chimps, especially Onapa, Aluma and Shaka. He is ‘married’ to Amina and Ruth and likes spending hours resting, grooming or being groomed by one of his two wives.
If you want to track chimpanzees in the wild click these links;
- chimp trekking
- chimp trekking in Ngamba Island
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wildebeest Migration Has Begun!
It's official - the annual migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya started six days ago. The comical animals nicknamed "the clown of the plains" and said to be put together by a committee, have moved across the south Mara plains. The herds split before entering the Central Plains with one herd heading west and the other to the north.
It’s a welcome surprise to see the migration start earlier than expected. Also this time, the main migration for the south arrived before the Loita herds as has been the tradition.
GREAT MIGRATION OF WILDEBEEST AND ZEBRAS
Having crossed the Sand River, the wildebeest with the zebras mowed their way from Keekorok to the Mara Bridge covering a distance of about 25 to 30 kilometers in a few days. Marching north towards Lookout Hill, they are busy and noisy as this is their rutting season. The males are calling, running up and down and fighting any competition to win over the females. It is indeed an interesting time to be in the Mara.
The females with their five-month-old calves are relishing the fresh red oat grass. However many natural water holes in the Mara are dry which will hasten the wildebeest to move further in search of water and fresh grasslands.
Click the following links for your Masai Mara safari package and Kenya safaris
=====================================================================================
Other Blogs: for your Uganda real estate articles or that on houses to buy in Uganda
It’s a welcome surprise to see the migration start earlier than expected. Also this time, the main migration for the south arrived before the Loita herds as has been the tradition.
GREAT MIGRATION OF WILDEBEEST AND ZEBRAS
Having crossed the Sand River, the wildebeest with the zebras mowed their way from Keekorok to the Mara Bridge covering a distance of about 25 to 30 kilometers in a few days. Marching north towards Lookout Hill, they are busy and noisy as this is their rutting season. The males are calling, running up and down and fighting any competition to win over the females. It is indeed an interesting time to be in the Mara.
The females with their five-month-old calves are relishing the fresh red oat grass. However many natural water holes in the Mara are dry which will hasten the wildebeest to move further in search of water and fresh grasslands.
Click the following links for your Masai Mara safari package and Kenya safaris
=====================================================================================
Other Blogs: for your Uganda real estate articles or that on houses to buy in Uganda
Five poachers go missing in Queen Elizabeth National Park
FIVE people, including a woman, are suspected to have been killed by wild animals while poaching in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese district.
Sajoni Kibaya, Nelson Bwambale, Mulewa Kathungu, Kibaya Muhekwa, the woman, and another man only identified as Nyamusunzura, all residents of Kitabu village in Muhokya sub-county, are said to have recently gone missing in the park.
However, the Uganda Wildlife Authority chief, Moses Mapesa, dismissed the allegations, saying he crossed-checked the reports but found no trace of dead poachers in the park.
During a recent district council meeting, Muhokya sub-county councillor John Kimadi, had appealed to the district security organs to help the relatives of the missing people to search the park and give the dead decent burials.
Kimadi told the council, which was chaired by the district speaker, John Baguma, that retrieving the bodies would help other people understand the dangers of poaching.
In a separate interview, he added that over 150 children had been orphaned as a result of their fathers being killed in the park.
The district Police commander, Paul Mumbogwe, said the local authorities and the Police had mounted a search for the bodies but in vain.
Mumbogwe added that the bodies might have been eaten up by wild animals.
==============================================================================
Houses on sale and rentals in Kampala Uganda
Sajoni Kibaya, Nelson Bwambale, Mulewa Kathungu, Kibaya Muhekwa, the woman, and another man only identified as Nyamusunzura, all residents of Kitabu village in Muhokya sub-county, are said to have recently gone missing in the park.
However, the Uganda Wildlife Authority chief, Moses Mapesa, dismissed the allegations, saying he crossed-checked the reports but found no trace of dead poachers in the park.
During a recent district council meeting, Muhokya sub-county councillor John Kimadi, had appealed to the district security organs to help the relatives of the missing people to search the park and give the dead decent burials.
Kimadi told the council, which was chaired by the district speaker, John Baguma, that retrieving the bodies would help other people understand the dangers of poaching.
In a separate interview, he added that over 150 children had been orphaned as a result of their fathers being killed in the park.
The district Police commander, Paul Mumbogwe, said the local authorities and the Police had mounted a search for the bodies but in vain.
Mumbogwe added that the bodies might have been eaten up by wild animals.
==============================================================================
Houses on sale and rentals in Kampala Uganda
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
One fine young artist
He has had President Yoweri Museveni as a special VIP guest to his London art exhibition in 2007 and the Kabaka of Buganda launched his first solo exhibition a year before that. Ismael Kateregga (pictured), one of Uganda’s most gifted artists has another exhibition which started on the November 7th .
He studied Industrial and Fine Arts at Makerere University before beginning his career as a painter. Famed for his depictions of Kampala’s bustling life, he uses an impressionistic (between realism and abstract) approach where the images seem kind of abstract and more distinct from long distances.
One of the country’s young artists, he has already held eight solo exhibitions, participated in the 2007 Crafts and Arts Awards and had his work featured in the East African Art Biennale. This is however going to be his first wild life exhibition with animals and a few plants. The change in them came easier than he would have thought after he first painted an elephant in 2007 and someone from Netherlands bought it immediately. “I loved that painting and although I was selling it, losing it hurt,” he says, joking that it was the one piece he would have wanted to hold on to. After that, he felt like he needed a replacement and studied different animals in Ugandan, taking great interest in the way they lived and interacted with each other. He was intrigued to find that most animals had a sense of togetherness and unity which most human beings are incapable of - gorilla tours in Uganda
This, combined with the natural beauty of Uganda, made it a personal goal for Kateregga to raise awareness about wildlife and its conservation among fellow Ugandans. He remembers travelling to Bunyoro where oil is being drilled with no consideration for the young antelopes that reside there. “It hurts me that the beauty is not being recognised and these animals are approached as a source of food only,” he said. Using another technique of washes (where the paint is more fluid than usual), Kateregga is going to display 26 to 27 paintings at Ndere Centre for a month in the hope of speaking to Ugandans and the world about wildlife and co-existing with it. We have other blogs offering safari packages review as well as African travel
He studied Industrial and Fine Arts at Makerere University before beginning his career as a painter. Famed for his depictions of Kampala’s bustling life, he uses an impressionistic (between realism and abstract) approach where the images seem kind of abstract and more distinct from long distances.
One of the country’s young artists, he has already held eight solo exhibitions, participated in the 2007 Crafts and Arts Awards and had his work featured in the East African Art Biennale. This is however going to be his first wild life exhibition with animals and a few plants. The change in them came easier than he would have thought after he first painted an elephant in 2007 and someone from Netherlands bought it immediately. “I loved that painting and although I was selling it, losing it hurt,” he says, joking that it was the one piece he would have wanted to hold on to. After that, he felt like he needed a replacement and studied different animals in Ugandan, taking great interest in the way they lived and interacted with each other. He was intrigued to find that most animals had a sense of togetherness and unity which most human beings are incapable of - gorilla tours in Uganda
This, combined with the natural beauty of Uganda, made it a personal goal for Kateregga to raise awareness about wildlife and its conservation among fellow Ugandans. He remembers travelling to Bunyoro where oil is being drilled with no consideration for the young antelopes that reside there. “It hurts me that the beauty is not being recognised and these animals are approached as a source of food only,” he said. Using another technique of washes (where the paint is more fluid than usual), Kateregga is going to display 26 to 27 paintings at Ndere Centre for a month in the hope of speaking to Ugandans and the world about wildlife and co-existing with it. We have other blogs offering safari packages review as well as African travel
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas In Africa
The need to know what lies in other parts of the World is something that all of us have. We desire to experience other cultures, experience different climates and altitudes. We desire to experience other peoples ways of life including their foods, music and even religion. Little kids in Africa desire to experience a white Christmas, while kids in the affluent western World desire to know what it feels like to be a Masai kid living in a grass-thatched house with a hole in the ground for a "toilet". As the festive season draws nigh, there is a lot of hussle and bustle all around. Right from the small dusty shanty towns in Africa to the big cities like London. It is not uncommon to find mothers lining up at thier favorite tailors to get their kids measured up so they can get a decent dress for their little angels or "Kawunda suit" for their baby boys. Uganda Safaris
The most enterprising business people are reaping "big" in almost all small towns all across Africa. This is the time when people who have moved to the urban centers are beginning to move back to the rural areas where they originate from. It is a time for long "lost" relatives to come back and have a huge family reunion.
In Uganda for instance a kilo (2.2 pounds) of beef goes for approximately 2 US Dollars. This is because most of the beef is being exported to the neighboring countries of Sudan and Congo.
The holiday seasons have been highly commercialize. The transport companies have as usaul hiked the fare to upcountry towns and villages with some double or tripling the fare.
There are however those who have opted to have their Christmas in the jungles of Africa, away from the lit-up cities of Europe and America. I know of newly wed couples who have opted to spend their Christmas doing a gorilla tour in Bwindi impenetrable forest. Others have opted to do wildlife safaris in some of the largest national parks in the country like Queen Elizabeth national park.
All in all, this is a time for people to celebrate the birth of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. And from me I wish you all a happy Christmas and New year.
The most enterprising business people are reaping "big" in almost all small towns all across Africa. This is the time when people who have moved to the urban centers are beginning to move back to the rural areas where they originate from. It is a time for long "lost" relatives to come back and have a huge family reunion.
In Uganda for instance a kilo (2.2 pounds) of beef goes for approximately 2 US Dollars. This is because most of the beef is being exported to the neighboring countries of Sudan and Congo.
The holiday seasons have been highly commercialize. The transport companies have as usaul hiked the fare to upcountry towns and villages with some double or tripling the fare.
There are however those who have opted to have their Christmas in the jungles of Africa, away from the lit-up cities of Europe and America. I know of newly wed couples who have opted to spend their Christmas doing a gorilla tour in Bwindi impenetrable forest. Others have opted to do wildlife safaris in some of the largest national parks in the country like Queen Elizabeth national park.
All in all, this is a time for people to celebrate the birth of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. And from me I wish you all a happy Christmas and New year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)