Six Lions Poisoned in Queen Elizabeth Nationwide Park
The Uganda Tourism Brotherhood awoke to the tragic news that six lions were found dead in Queen Elizabeth National Park west of the country.
- For the second time in three years, lions have been killed in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
- A blow to tourism in Uganda
- In 2019, the Ugandan Parliament passed the Wildlife Act, which was designed to empower local people and compensate communities for the loss of their animals and wildlife property
This was later confirmed by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) communications manager Hangi Bashir, who published a press release stating, “The lion carcasses were found in the Isasha sector last evening (March 18), with the most of the body parts were missing. Eight dead vultures were found at the scene, suggesting that the lions may have been poisoned by strangers.
In April 2018, a pride of eleven lions in the same national park was similarly poisoned, causing international outrage. This time, however, the carcasses were mutilated with missing limbs and heads, indicating an illegal trade in body parts for medical purposes.
Then the former Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Professor Ephraim Kamuntu, led an investigation team to solve problems related to the human-animal conflict.
The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) was scheduled to sponsor and direct a press team later in 2019 to work with members of the Nyakatonzi, Hamkungu and Kasenyi communities adjacent to the park who have lost livestock and relatives to wildlife. A team of investigators has been on site since the most recent incident and is working with the police in Kanungu District to deal with the matter. This was confirmed by UWA. Two weeks ago, Big Cat biologist Alex Braczkowski had filmed Pride in National Geographic’s use to gauge how The Lions That Came on Tree Climbing were advancing.
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In 2019, the Ugandan Parliament passed the Wildlife Act, which aimed to empower local people, compensate communities for the loss of their animals and property, and, among other things, impose groundbreaking penalties for wildlife crimes.
