BY INNOCENT KIIZA
Friday evening six lions were found dead at Ishasha sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kanungu district in what’s believed to be suspected poisoning, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said.
According to UWA, the lion remains were found with most of their parts missing. Eight dead vultures were also found at the scene, which points to possible poisoning, according to UWA
Mr Bashir Hangi, the UWA communications manager said that a team of investigators was sent to the ground to handle the matter in collaboration with police in Kanungu District.
“Given that some body parts of the lions are missing, we cannot rule out illegal wildlife trafficking,” he said.
Mr Hangi said the deaths have a negative impact on the tourism sector and revenue generation in the country. This has not been the first incident to happen but similar to what happened on 12 April 2018 where 11 lion were suspected poisoned again in Queen Elizabeth National park by pastoralists claimed that they killed their cattle
“UWA condemns the illegal killing of wildlife because it does not only impact negatively on our tourism as a country, but also revenue generation which supports conservation and community work in our protected areas,” Mr Hangi said in a statement
He assured the public that UWA shall continue to strengthen the protection of lions and other wildlife in Uganda and will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.
“Our national parks remain safe and attractive to visitors and we still have lions in Queen Elizabeth and other parks,”
Uganda loses an average of 200 million shillings in illicit wildlife annually through poaching that involves organized groups including multinational dealers that are backing illegal poaching in the country. Illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illicit activity globally generating about 26 billion shillings.
