It is not surprising that an investigation has been ordered into allegations of festering corruption at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) by the tourism ministry. There have been many warnings about the way things were running at UWA.

The board chairman, Dr. Boysier Oumar Muballe, said the suspension would help the authority investigate the matter without interference.

He cited the award of concessions and the creation of illegal departments for the action.

“The board has taken a decision to send Moses Mapesa on forced leave with effect from today (August 9),” said Muballe. “We have instituted an audit over a number of suspicions.”

Muballe added: “This is a criminal investigation in which concessions have been offered. The President said he would deploy cadres to fight impunity and corruption. There was no ambiguity in this statement.”

Mapesa is a long-serving wildlife manager, who belongs to many continental and global conservation bodies.

Mapesa headed the authority for the last five years, but has 22 years in wildlife service.

The authority was formed in 1996 following a merger of the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department.

Muballe’s board, which started two months ago, also suspended Sam Mwandha, the director of conservation, last week over the same matter.

James Omoding, a conservation coordinator, and Apophia Natukunda, the head of corporate services, resigned last month, citing personal reasons. However, Muballe said the duo left after the board intervened.

Asked whether Mapesa was given an opportunity to defend himself, Muballe said: “These people have perfected the art of giving explanations, but now the audit will help us to put everything together. We will take more steps after the audit report is out.”

Muballe cited a case in which an official was offered a bribe to influence the contracts committee to give hunting concessions to a foreign investor.
“This was a case of fraud, which should be have been punished with outright dismissal. But Mapesa just cautioned the officer,” he said.

“It is difficult to imagine the impunity of this official because he was soliciting for bribes from sport hunters using UWA’s e-mail address.”

Muballe did not specify how long Mapesa and Mwandha would be on leave. “Mapesa and Mwandha should keep away from office during the forensic audit,” he stressed.

In a separate interview, Lillian Nsubuga, the spokesperson, said: “We are working normally, decisions are being made. There is no problem.”

The authority, which was set up by the Wildlife Act of 1996, manages 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves and 14 sanctuaries sitting on land covering 10% of Uganda. It was hit with cases of corruption and intermittent sackings of executive directors in its infancy.

Until now, the agency had been largely stable this decade. Uganda’s wildlife population was decimated in the 1970s and 1980s during the years of political instability and civil unrest.

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The chairman of the National Anthrax Task Force Dr Nicholas Kauta told journalists on Thursday that so far, 82 hippos and nine buffaloes have been confirmed dead following the outbreak in June. He said the most affected areas are those surrounding Kazinga Channel and lakes Edward and George.

As a national response, he said, the task force is implementing a multi-pronged response which includes undertaking a base line study to determine the extent of the outbreak and affected species through carrying out carcass management, marine and terrestrial patrols and sample analysis.

He warned people around the area not to graze animals in the park, report all sicknesses and deaths in wild and domestic animals to authorities and not to consume meat from sick and dead animals.

He said there will be a ring vaccination of livestock in the national park and all health centres have been put on high alert.

Anthrax is caused by bacteria (bacillus anthracis) in the atmosphere. Animals mainly herbivores get it through contaminated grass, soil and water.

Humans can  acquire it through eating contaminated meat and animal products from infected animals.

The park has often experienced attacks in  1954 and in 1994 and 2004. In 2004, about 300 hippos died.

The Wild Life Authority says there is no cause of alarm that all animals in the park might die because the beasts  have natural immunity to the disease.

FIVE lions and 16 vultures in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda have died of suspected poisoning, acting warden Nelson Guma said.
The carcasses of three lionesses and two males, formerly part of a pride of about 10, along the Kasenyi track, were discovered about a kilometre from Hamukungu fish landing site on Wednesday. Park rangers said one of the lionesses was pregnant.

Guma expressed the fear that more lions and wild animals like hyenas, which feed on dead animals, could also be dead.

Usually local people complain of the wild animals eating their domestic animals, but Guma said there had been no such case in the recent past.

“It is unfortunate that people with bad hearts poison the lions and end up killing more animals than intended,” he said.

Reports said two people were arrested near the area where the lions were killed. The animals reportedly killed and ate six head of cattle two months ago.
Guma said he would investigate the claims.

Rangers yesterday retrieved the carcasses of the lions from the wilderness for examination. They also recovered two dead head of cattle and two cow skins. A swarm of dead green flies littered the area, indicating possible poisoning.

Dr. Margaret Drachiru, a veterinary doctor at the Uganda Wildlife Authority who took samples for testing, said the animals could have died on Sunday.

She added that the two head of cattle were not killed by the lions, but were slaughtered and placed there to trap the cats.

According to Guma, lions are the biggest tourist attraction in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The dead lions were the ones which tourists were sure to see at the park, which is said to hold about 105 lions. The park covers Kyambura and Ishasha sectors.

Experts, using scientific methods, found 214 cats between 1999 and 2004 in Uganda. But crude estimates put the number to about 745 across the country. It is believed that the Queen Elizabeth national park and the DR Congo hold up to 905 African lions.

Perceived as a threat to livestock and humans, lions are also hunted for their skins and purported medicinal values. They are poisoned, shot, or speared by locals.

While lion populations in protected areas remain relatively healthy, conservationists say without urgent measures, they may disappear as their habitat is lost to deforestation and encroachers.

For example, in 2006, about 10 lions were killed in the park in areas which were temporarily occupied by the Basongora pastoralists who had been chased from the Virunga National Park in eastern Congo.

Uganda has 10 national parks. Lions are also found in the Murchison Falls national park and  in Kidepo national park. Some are said to be in the Semliki national park area in Toro.

In Lake Mburo National Park, however, the lions have become extinct.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority has put in place various interventions, including sensitising communities around the parks in an attempt to save the big cats.

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Air Uganda is the designated national airline for Uganda which was formed in 2007 and began commercial flight operations on November 15, 2007 with its Headquartered in Kampala. The Airline operations base is at Entebbe International Airport, and it operates scheduled flights from Entebbe to various countries in Eastern Africa and Central Africa apart from some few countries. The company is 100 percent owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) through its company Celestair. Other airlines operating in Rwanda include Rwanda’s national carrier Rwanda Air, Kenya Airways, SN Brussels and Ethiopian airlines. Air Uganda begun operations in November, 2007.

Before, Air Uganda’s CRJ200 used not to operate through Rwanda but by the moment after landing at Kigali International Airport. The airline made its maiden flight on 22^nd/Feb/2010 morning. More so, Air Uganda has continued its forays into the region following 22^nd/Feb/2010’s maiden flight to Kigali and the airline made its long-awaited commercial flight Monday morning. The airlines’ CRJ200 aircraft touched down at Kigali International Airport at 8:00 am.

According to the company’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Jenifer B. Musiime, said that “passengers can now fly to Entebbe (Uganda) daily and Flights between the two destinations are daily with morning flights from Monday to Thursday and evening flights for the rest of the week (Friday to Sunday),” .According to the flight schedule from Monday to Thursday, Air Uganda flies to Kigali, departing Entebbe at 7: 45 am and arriving in Kigali at 8:00 am and from Friday to Sunday. The airline departs Entebbe at 4:15 pm and arrives in Kigali at 4pm.

The airline’s operations in Kigali have made the city their sixth destination on the continent. Air Uganda also has two daily flights to Nairobi (Kenya), daily flights to Dar el Salaam and Juba, and tri-weekly flights to Zanzibar and Mombasa.The airline also flies its passengers to European destinations thanks to its partnership with Belgian Airline SN Brussels. However, after bringing the carrier to the Rwandan skies, the airline now believes it has a more complete coverage of the East African skies.

“It’s an honor for us and we now want to give people options when it comes to flying because on top of daily direct flights to Entebbe, we also have connections to cities like Juba and Zanzibar,” Musiime added.

For the next three weeks, passengers can fly to Entebbe for a promotional fare of $99, which is from 23^rd/Feb/2010. The airline will upgrade to $150 before settling at the normal air-ticket fare of $199.Air-Uganda, which owns a CRJ100, CRJ200 and McDonald-Douglas MD-87 aircraft, also plans to launch its cargo service which will be available on all routes that the airline operates

This operation of Air Uganda has reduced on the transport cost, time and distance that most tourists have been incurring during there travel to Rwanda hence enabling many tourists (visitors) to access Rwanda in time. More so, there is now quick and cheap transport from other destinations to Rwanda. Therefore, don’t miss to be part of the game.

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Safari attire is casual and invariably comfortable. A combination of light clothing, hats, sturdy shoes, long sleeve shirts, sweat shirt or fleece for evenings up country will do. Because of Uganda’s position on the Equator, a need for sun cream is necessary. Although women in up country may feel more comfortable wearing clothing that cover their knees and shoulders, this is not mandatory. It is usually hot by midday, but evenings are always pleasant.

Recommended Clothing List

1. Water proof clothing (muted colours).
2. Hat for sun and rain.
3. Light jacket.
4. Sweater.
5. Long sleeved shirts for trekking.
6. Strong walking boots with ankle support for gorilla tracking.
7. Relevant socks.
8. Light shoes.
9. Shorts.
10. Cotton or gortex trousers.
11. Be prepared for cool, dry, warm, wet weather when trekking gorillas.
12. Day pack.
13. Plastic bags for cameras and films.
14. Hiking shoes for case of mountain climbing
15. Umbrella or rain coat for rainy seasons

Tipping

1. Kibale Forest guides, $ 3 per client per walk.
2. Baggage porters at hotels/lodges, $ 2 per client per stay.
3. At restaurants, anywhere from $ 0.50 to $ 1, depending on services and how much meals cost. 10% is a god thumb of rule.
4. Driver /guides cost $ 5 per client per day.
5. Camps and lodges cost $ 2 to $ 3 per client per night.
6. Gorilla trekking guides and trackers charge $ 10 per client per trek.

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Crested Crane

Uganda has a great variety of habitats, packed into a fairly small area, and has a bird list nearly at par with neighbouring Kenya. It is dotted with state of the art game reserves, including Murchison Falls national park, lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth national park, and many less visited ones, such as Kidepo Valley and Semiliki, which offer a good variety of more-widespread African bird species, as well as good variety of large mammals.

Uganda’s main attractions are in her forests and swamps, where species with restricted range can be found. While it only has one ubiquitous species, Fox weaver, which occurs in swamps north of Kampala, it has several species which are denizens of specific habitat areas, shared with other countries.

One such area is the Albertine Rift, an area of lakes, Mountains and Forests, which stretches from Northern Uganda along its boarders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several species endemic to this area are found in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park, Semiliki National park, Rwenzori Mountains and Mgahinga. These include; Green Broadbill, Graver’s swamp and Nkumann warblers, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson wings, yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Strange weaver, Rwenzori Double-collared, Regal purple-breasted and Blue-throated sunbirds, Rwenzori Toraco, Handsome Francolin, Striper breasted Tit Inter-alia.

In the papyrus swamps around Lake Victoria and other Lakes, the enigmatic shoebill can be found, as swell as specialities including papyrus yellow and white winged warblers, Caruthers’s Cisticola, papyrus Gonolek, wswamp Flycatcher and orange weaver. There are also several highland and lowland forests spread across the country, which offer species which are generally West African. Great Blue and Black-billed Turacos, African Grey parrot, Green breasted Pitta, several woodpeckers, Barbets and Green bulls, and Scarcities such as Weyn’s weaver, Nahan’s and Forest Francolin, all occur. In addition to the bird life, a great attraction is the opportunity for Mountain gorillas trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga, as well as chimpanzees in Kibale.

Even if you are only passing through Uganda, a good range of species can be seen within a few hours of Kampala, in Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Mabamba swamp and Mabira Forest, including several of the sought-after species like the aforementioned.

Wetland Birds

1. Uganda has 30,000 sq. km of wetland.
2. 210 species from the shoe bill and African skimmer to the endemic fox’s weaver.
3. Four papyrus endemics; papyrus Gonolek, papyrus canary, white-winged warbler and papyrus yellow warbler.
4. A white-winged Black Tern roost of 2-3 million birds in the Entebbe area.

Savannahs vary from the remote, semi-desert, dry thorn-scrub region of Karamoja in the Northeast, to the richer fertile savannahs of the Western Rift Valley. Queen Elizabeth National Park has a bird list of 604 species, the highest for any protected area in Africa.

Some of the dry thorn-scrub birds include

1. Pigmy falcon.
2. Quail plover.
3. Fox kestrl.
4. Swallow-tailed kite.
5. Kori, White-bellied and Harttaub’s Bustard.
6. Black-headed plover.
7. Abyssinian Roller.
8. White-crested Turaco.
9. Lichtenstein’s and Four-banded sand grouse.
10. Brown-rumped Bunting.
11. Karamoja Apalis.
12. Pygmy sunbird.
13. Bristle-crowned staring.
14. Yellow-billed shrike.
15. White-bellied Go-away bird.
16. Piapiac
17. Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.

Entebbe and Kampala birds

1. Over 550 species for the region.
2. A suburban garden list of 206 species.
3. One of the largest urban breeding colony of Marabou storks.
4. 212 species listed in 12 hours by 3 people.
5. Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos are common city birds.

Within the Kampala region are two major Forest Reserves, less than an hour’s drive from the city, which hond a variety of very special birds including;

1. Emerald, Red-chested and Black cuckoos.
2. Brown Twinspot.
3. Nahan’s Francolin.
4. Weyn’s weaver.
5. Blue-throated Roller.
6. Crowned Eagle.
7. Tit-Hylia.
8. Cassin’s Hawk Eagle.
9. Grey-rumped and Blue Swallows.

Uganda’s 10 most commonly sought after birds

1. Red-fronted Ant peckers.
2. Karamoja Apalis.
3. The African Jacana.
4. Brown chested plover.
5. Rwenzori Juraco.
6. Purvell’s Illadopsis.
7. Nahan’s Francolin.
8. Green-breasted Broadbill.
9. African Green Broadbill.
10. Black-headed Gonolek.

Some common Urban birds

1. Bat Hawk.
2. Palm-unit vulture.
3. Open-billed stork.
4. African Grey and Brown parrots.
5. White-faced scops Owl.
6. Black and white Casqued, Crowned and pied Hornbills.
7. Wallberg’s Eagle.
8. African Grey and Brown parrots.
9. Red-faced Lovebird.
10. Grey-crowned Crane.
11. Black-headed Gonolek.

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shoe bill

Uganda is a true African birding destination, located across the equator. Uganda attracts
migratory birds from North and South hemisphere. Uganda is the richest country for birds in Africa. It has almost half of the species known on the African continent and over 10% of those recorded throughout the entire world. Over 1,000 species of birds have been recorded to exist in the country. Some of the exciting species you will view include birds of water and land shore, birds of shrub and woodland, forest birds and birds of the open plain.

Most of our National parks have a diversity of birds; however, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls, Bwindi Impenetrable and Semiliki National Parks are the most famous for birding.
If you are a bird lover, Uganda is the ideal destination that will make your dream come true. Our excellent guides will add flavour to your own experience on birds. Be our honoured guest.

Where to go for bird watching in Uganda together with field trips

1. Queen Elizabeth national Park birding tour.
2. Murchison Falls National Park birding safari.
3. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
4. Semiliki National Park.
5. Kibale National park.
6. Mabira Forest
7. Mabamba Wetland
8. Botanical Gardens
9. Lake Mburo
10. Bodongo Forest
11. Mgahinga Forest
12. Bigodi Swamp
13. Kampala bird watching safari

Queen Elizabeth National park, which is described as “Uganda’s Great Rift Valley” by Andrew Roberts, is the second largest and it is almost 1,978 sq. km. It is bordered in the West by Lake Edward and in the North by the Rwenzori Mountains, and is divided in two sectors, the North and South. This fertile equatorial area has a very nice scenery comprised of Tropical Rain Forests and two lakes connected by a channel over looked by a high peninsula. The beauty is simply staggering with sprawling cacti, savannah, forests, rivers and lakes.

The Park is a world bio-sphere reserve (UNESCO, 1979), includes a RAMSAR wetland site and is a classified Important Bird Area (IBA) by Bird life International. The park has over 568 of Uganda’s 1017 species of birds (over a quarter of Africa’s bird species), more than any other park in Africa.

In the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), you may see Crater Lakes filled with huge flocks of Flamingos. You will spot Eagles soaring and Vultures perching.

The park is known for its Fauna, although many animals were filled in the Uganda-Tanzanian war. Many species have recovered, including hippopotamuses, elephants, leopards, chimps and lions. It is now home to 95 species of mammals.

The National Park includes the Maramagambo Forest and boarders the Kigezi and Kyambura Game Reserves, Kibale National Park, and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town of Kasese lies on the Northwestern edge of the park. The park is verily one of the very few remaining pristine wildlife Sanctuaries in the world.

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1. Queen Elizabeth national park tour information
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3. Queen Elizabeth national park tour
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5. 3 day Queen Elizabeth national park safari