On the 20th march 2021, we woke up on devastating news that six lions were found dead in Queen Elizabeth national park.
This sad news was revealed through an immediate press release from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, an organization responsible for management and protection of all natural gazetted areas in Uganda. In recap, the release read, “Uganda wildlife authority is saddened to announce the death of six lions in Queen Elizabeth national park”.
“The carcasses of the lions were found last evening at Ishasha sector with most of their body parts missing. Eight dead vultures were also found at the scene which points to possible poisoning of the lions by unknown people”
It further stated that it was carrying out investigations with the help of Kanungu district police department. As the look of things where the dead lions’ body parts were found missing, it would be illegal wildlife trafficking.
The demise of the lions is a big blow to the tourism industry and the local community around Queen Elizabeth National Park. The lions are one of the most sought after species in the Savannah plains of Africa. The lions are one of the niche tourist attractions that pull lots of travelers to come to Uganda.
Therefore, the deduction in the number of lions means a decline in the number of tourists and revenue. 20% of the revenue got from Queen Elizabeth national park was reimbursed to the local community schemes to uplift their livelihood. Tourism is also the highest forex earner of Uganda with 23% and it also employs a large number of Ugandans. The killing of the lions is really a low moment for the country.
Nonetheless, Uganda Wildlife Authority has vowed to fight any illegal practices on the lions and the wildlife species at large in the different national parks of Uganda. Uganda also still remains of one of the top eco safari tourism destination in the world in spite of the the predicament that happened in one of its national parks.