According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the number of Wild animals in Uganda’s national parks and game reserves has soared over the past decade. The latest figures show that the population of some species has doubled since 1999, spokeswoman Lillian Nsubuga said.
Wildlife conservation has benefited from improved monitoring, reduced poaching and the expulsion of rebels from the country. The animals on the rise include buffaloes, giraffes, and elephants.
New statistics show that the population with the biggest increase is that of the Impala, a grazing antelope. The number of Impala in Uganda has surged to more than 35,000, from around 1,600 at the time of the last census in 1999. Hippopotamuses, waterbucks, and zebras are also on the increase in Uganda’s national parks.
Ms Nsubuga said the UWA had been able to reduce poaching by improving the monitoring of national parks and reserves as well as offering incentives to local communities to protect wildlife.
Since the expulsion of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from northern Uganda, wildlife officials have also been able to limit poaching in Murchison Falls National Park. “We can’t say that poaching is no longer a problem, but we have been able to reduce it”, Ms Nsubuga said.
The Murchison Falls Game Park is the biggest wildlife park in Uganda, with major tour activities being Game Viewing drives, launch cruise to the Bottom of Murchison falls, Nature walks, Chimpanzee trekking in Kanio Pabidi Forest reserves and excellent birding among others.
