Dispute rages over Uganda's disappearing lions
Kampala, Uganda
28 July 2007 09:46 Mail and Guardian.
Uganda's lions appear to have become the main casualties in a dispute
between landless herdsmen and the authorities managing one of the
country's biggest reserves. And with Britain's queen due later this
year to visit the park that was named after her, the pressure is on
to find a solution.
The number of lions in the Queen Elizabeth II Park, Uganda's second-
largest national park, is dwindling at an alarming rate due to what
wardens suspect are poisonings by herdsmen defending their cattle.
"Over 10 lions have been poisoned, notably one pride of nine lions
has disappeared and we have lost radio communication with one mother
that had been radio-tagged," said chief warden Tom Okello.
The lions have been disappearing over the past 15 months, he added.
Despite intensive searches by park warders, they have not been
spotted.
Okello suspects a group of about 10 000 Basongora tribesmen of
poisoning of the missing animals to stop them preying on their cattle.
Plummeting numbers
A report by veterinarians and lecturers at the country's main
Makerere University found that the number of lions, leopards and
hyenas had plummeted since the tribesmen entered the park in March
2006.
"Over 80% of the hyenas have been killed and all leopards along the
Nyamusagani River have been poisoned," Dr Ludwig Siefert said in the
report. "We have also lost at least 11 lions in the last 15 months."
According to the report, the park's lion population has slipped from
94 in 1999 to 39 today. It would take 20 years to undo the damage
done over the past 15 months, the reported added.
Lions have already been eradicated in several other parks in the
region, prompting alarm among conservationists and the tourism sector
alike.
"Without the cats, Queen Elizabeth park is likely to lose its appeal,
as it happened with Mburo National Park, where the cats were poached
off," Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) spokesperson Lilian Nsubuga
said. "Ninety percent of the tourists who come to the park are
interested in the cats ... If the number of animals keeps going down,
the entire tourism sector will be hit."
The extent of the threat to the reserve's lions -- and other
predators -- was slow to emerge.
"Body parts, including the claws, teeth and skin, are chopped off and
taken away," said UWA director Moses Mapesa. "That is one of the
reasons why it is difficult to find carcasses."
Few traces of the carnage are left behind as the animals' body parts
are used for traditional and voodoo rituals, he added.
Autopsies established that the animals had been poisoned with
Furadan, a powerful insecticide used in agriculture, said Okello. "We
suspect that the intention of the herdsmen is to eliminate the large
cats because they prey on their cattle," he said.
And as the university report showed, other species feeding on the
poisoned carcasses had also been affected.
'False allegations'
But the herdsmen vehemently deny poisoning the cats. "These are false
allegations," said Wilson Okaali, chairperson of the Basongora group
for justice and human rights.
The 10 ,000-strong Basongora community occupy an area in the 5 200-
square-kilometre park. It was originally intended as a temporary
dwelling pending relocation by the Ugandan authorities.
The pastoralists were first displaced in 1954, when the park was
created and named after the newly crowned queen of England.
As their tribe straddled several borders, many of the herdsmen and
their families fled to what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo
until the 1998-2003 war there forced them to move back. They were
allowed to enter Queen Elizabeth II Park temporarily, where they
graze an estimated 20 000 heads of cattle.
But earlier this year, health officials voiced concerns that the
herds might spread diseases such as foot-and-mouth.
Although initially confined to the edge of the park, the Basongora
have started encroaching deeper. According to some reports, that has
encouraged other herdsmen in the region to bring their cattle for
grazing.
"We are eagerly waiting for the movement of these people from the
park to see what can be done," Okello said. But an initial attempt to
evict 1 000 Basongora in May ended in violence.
The Basongora claim they have been given no viable option by the
Ugandan government because the resettlement land they were offered
could not sustain their herds.
Ugandan media have also suggested the government is in hurry to
resolve the row before the queen visits the park that bears her name.
For the Ugandan government, it would be a highlight of the monarch's
visit in November, where she will be attending the Commonwealth
summit.
The Basongora also hope things will get better for then. "We have
been informed by the government that land has been found, but it
still has some crops on it that will be harvested in August. We hope
to start moving in September," Okaali said. -- Sapa-AFP
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
_______________________________________________
Ugandanet mailing list
[email protected]
http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet
% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
---------------------------------------
