The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) reported that three female lions were electrocuted to death on the fringes of Queen Elizabeth National Park on 26th April 2022.
The wildlife managers in Uganda posted on their socials, ” the lions were found dead on an electric fence at Irrungo forest Safari Lodge”. A Picture of dead lions lying on the green ground their teeth stuck in the electric wire fence close was attached to the post.
The demise that happened on the edges of Irrungo Forest Safari Lodge around Queen Elizabeth national park raised queries about whether the proprietors of different facilities near or within the protected areas comply with the procedures of developing and operating their ventures apprehending wildlife and its safety as the first priority.
For so long, there have been human-wildlife conflicts, especially around areas close to the national parks. On many occasions, animals have been seen invading the local communities and destroying their property and the people have retaliated by killing these stray animals. The Uganda Wildlife Authority’s efforts to stop the problem are still lacking.
“In the case of Irungu Lodge, The management established the fence to prevent dangerous mammals since its main obligation is the safety of its clients, the UWA official said. She further stated, ” suppose if the lions had got their way through the fence, invaded the lodge premises, and killed the visitor? It would make an alarm on the travel platforms and the lodge would be out of business”
Irungu Safari Lodge is one of the newly upcoming lodges around Queen Elizabeth National park, a few miles from Kazinga Channel, a popular water stream renowned for boat ride experiences. The lodge is a convenient base for tourists who wish to participate in a safari game drive to view an array of savannah mammals such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elands, and topis.
Conservationists recommend that barricades in national parks are not meant to be harmful, the amps must be reduced to a low level just to scare away the animals.
A certain conservationist said that animals can die when they get stuck in an electric fence with high voltage.
The director of conservation at Uganda Wildlife Authority, John Makombo said that the demise of the three lions was perplexing.
The recent incident happened after locals in Kagadi District, near Murchison Falls National park murdered a stray lion two weeks before. Now the total number of lion fatalities in 2022 is four.
Six lions were poisoned to death in March 2021, making the total population of dead lions nine in a stretch of over a year.
Over 20 lions have been killed by humans in various protected areas in the past three years. According to surveys by various conservation bodies, 25 lions have been reported dead in the last 14 years.
Lions are apparently considered endangered species under the red list of The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are regarded as one of the fast-declining species of animals. The dismay that occurred at the end of last month was a big blow to the conservationists since they are toiling to increase the number of these big brown cats. They say one murdered lion retards their works of increasing the population very many years back.
The decrease in the lion population is due to disputes with the cattle keepers where their cattle act as prey or themselves are hurt by the lions. however, the major causes of the dropping numbers of lions are climatic change, loss of habitat, and illegal trade in the meat of lions.
The lions now come second after the mountain gorillas as the most sought-after animals by visitors exploring Uganda’s game parks. The main breeding areas of these fierce predators in Uganda include Queen Elizabeth National park in the Southwest, Murchison falls national park in the northwest, and Kidepo Valley national park in the Northeast.
