Cyclist Killed By Elephant in Murchison Falls National Park
The local community around Murchison Falls National Park has been complaining lately about marauding elephants crossing the park boundaries into their precious gardens to eat and destroy their crops.
During a recent incident when locals were chasing away an elephant that had strayed out of the park into their gardens at around 9pm, a 35 year old cyclist Mr. Charles Okello Otyem was very unfortunate to ram into the elephant as it was crossing the road. According to eye witnesses due to the speed at which Mr. Otyem was riding he died instantly. The incident happened at the village of Gwara as Mr. Otyem was riding from the trading center of Diima to the town of Karuma all of which border Murchison Falls National Reserve.
For a longtime now the local community around the park has been complaining to the Uganda Wildlife Authority about the marauding elephants to no avail. Uganda Wildlife Authority the body charged with protecting wildlife in Uganda has not compensated the locals in any way or managed to control the elephants.
Tom Okello the Chief Warden of the Murchison Falls Game Park told the press the Uganda Wildlife Authority regrets the incident and has given food and a coffin to the family of the deceased to help meet the burial expenses. The Chief Warden also appealed to the local community to help Uganda Wildlife Authority in caring for the wildlife in and around the national park.
The local leaders including the Member of Parliament of Nwoya district Mr. Todwong Richard have appealed to the government to help in compensating the local communities whose property and crops have been destroyed by the marauding elephants.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda and one of the most visited by tourists. It has wide range of both plant and animal species. However, there has been a high level of poaching by the local communities around the national park and if left unchecked could adversely affect the high volume of tourists visiting the Park. A Murchison falls tour includes a visit to the top of the falls from which the park derives its name as well as birding watching, sport fishing and wildlife game drives.
Read MoreCounting Hippos in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National park will soon be visited by encumber of tourists that is February and March 2012 to carry out the Hippos counting census in Africa. This is an adventure trip and there is a fee of $100 per day for each seat, but breakfast, lunch and bottled water are included. Volunteers are entitled to go on more than one excursion (daily rate applies). Seats will be available for 12 days (please see regions and dates available for each day, making a total of 24 available seats.
You don’t have to be an African safari expert to become a volunteer hippo census-taker. In fact, if you have never set foot in East or South Africa, you are more than welcome to come along on this adventure.
Read MoreWild Fire Breaks Out in two Ugandan National Parks
The months of December, January and now February have traditionally been very hot in Uganda. As a result there have been a lot of bush fires in many of the upcountry areas in the country. Two of Uganda national parks have not been spared either. Queen Elizabeth National Park and Mountain Rwenzori National Park in Kasese are two of the game reserves in Uganda that have suffered wildfires in the recent weeks.
The situation is being exacerbated by the climate change as well as the activities of poachers in the national parks. Official from the Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA as well as the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces – UPDF fought the fires for about week and managed to bring it down in Mount Rwenzori national park.
Fires in the Rwenzori National Park
A group of about 30 tourists were doing hiking mount Rwenzori when the fire broke out on Monday. The tourist were at a height of about 4,600m above sea level when this occurred. According to the senior warden who is in-charge of Mountain Rwenzori national park the fires blazed for almost a week.
Mr. Kiiza further said that, “It has always been wet up there during dry season but this time climate change has taken an extra toll to deprive Uganda of its pride as global warming takes its toll on the tourism industry,” He said that, “Our team has worked round the clock since the fire was reported”. In addition he said that many birds and wildlife were killed by the fires negatively affecting the ecosystem and Uganda’s tourism at large.
The fires have destroyed several properties in the area. The director of Rwenzori Trekking Services, Mr. Hunwick John said his property was virtually destroyed and when the fire broke out he had about 20 clients who were doing mountain climbing in the Rwenzoris. However, his clients were safely evacuated from the mountains. The fire break out has made the authorities close Mountain Rwenzori hiking through the Kilembe trails.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
In Queen Elizabeth national park the fires blazed through several acres of land destroying plants and wildlife. It also destroyed several tourist facilities including many Kyambura Safari Lodge cottages.
The inferno destroyed several cotton fields in the communities neighboring Queen Elizabeth national park plus 30 goats in the area of Mubuku.
According to Mr. Guma Nelson, the area conservation manager of Queen Elizabeth national park, the fires have been hard to fight during the day due to the wind gusts which easily spread the fires to the different parts of the park.
Kyambura Safari lodges is a relatively new establishment with good cottages and facilities. It is pity that the fires destroyed half of its Cottages.
Read MoreWild Fire Rages in Queen Elizabeth and Mt. Rwenzori National Park
The months of December, January and now February have traditionally been very hot in Uganda. As a result there have been a lot of bush fires in many of the upcountry areas in the Country. The national parks have not been spared either.
Queen Elizabeth national park and Mountain Rwenzori national park in Kasese are two of the game reserves in Uganda that have suffered wildfires in the recent weeks.
The situation is being exacerbated by the climate change as well as the activities of poachers in the national parks. Official from the Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA as well as the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces – UPDF fought the fires for about week and managed to bring it down in Mount Rwenzori national park.
A group of about 30 tourists were doing hiking mount Rwenzori when the fire broke out on Monday. The tourist were at a height of about 4,600m above sea level when this occurred. According to the senior warden who is in-charge of Mountain Rwenzori national park the fires blazed for almost a week.
Mr. Kiiza further said that, “It has always been wet up there during dry season but this time climate change has taken an extra toll to deprive Uganda of its pride as global warming takes its toll on the tourism industry,”
He said that, “Our team has worked round the clock since the fire was reported”. In addition he said that many birds and wildlife were killed by the fires negatively affecting the ecosystem and Uganda’s tourism at large.
The fires have destroyed several properties in the area. The director of Rwenzori Trekking Services, Mr. Hunwick John said his property was virtually destroyed and when the fire broke out he had about 20 clients who were doing mountain climbing in the Rwenzoris. However, his clients were safely evacuated from the mountains.
The fire break out has made the authorities close Mountain Rwenzori hiking through the Kilembe trails.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
In Queen Elizabeth national park the fires blazed through several acres of land destroying plants and wildlife. It also destroyed several tourist facilities including many Kyambura Safari Lodge cottages.
The inferno destroyed several cotton fields in the communities neighboring Queen Elizabeth national park plus 30 goats in the area of Mubuku.
According to Mr. Guma Nelson, the area conservation manager of Queen Elizabeth national park, the fires have been hard to fight during the day due to the wind gusts which easily spread the fires to the different parts of the park.
Kyambura Safari lodges is a relatively new establishment with good cottages and facilities. It is pity that the fires destroyed half of its Cottages.
Read More