Category Archives: Education

World Aquatic Animal Day

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Today marks the second World Aquatic Animal Day, an occasion of Lewis & Clark Law School and its Aquatic Animal Law Initiative (IAALI). The theme for this year is “The Impact of our Human Activities on Aquatic Animals.”

Aquatic animals play a critical role in our societies and the ecosystem yet they face extensive harm. Aquatic animals are often forgotten nonhuman animals and receive little attention in discussions of animal welfare.

In many countries, human activities have led to destruction of aquatic animal habitats, and depletion and extinction of some aquatic animal species. There is rampant use of harmful fishing methods and dumping in habitats of aquatic animals. There are generally illegal, uncontrolled and unregulated activities on water bodies which continue to pose risks to all aquatic lives.

There is hence urgent need to give aquatic animals the attention that they deserve and hence recognize their intrinsic and extrinsic value. This can be through law, policy, education and advocacy. As stewards of the earth, we should scale up our efforts in raising awareness of the plight of aquatic animals.

Visiting the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre

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A team from Help African Animals visited the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) commonly known as the Entebbe Zoo. The purpose of the visit was to acquire more knowledge about wildlife and appreciate the living conditions of the animals living in captivity in Uganda.

UWEC was opened in 1952 by the colonial government in Uganda as a reception centre for wild animals that were found as casualties. UWEC among others, rescues and treats injured or sick animals, provides quarantine services in order to prevent infectious disease transfer, and breeds species that are at risk of extinction in the wild.

Illegal fishing in the world’s second-largest freshwater lake – Victoria endangers species

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Shrinking fish stocks caused by illegal fishing has been a growing problem in Lake Victoria. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report of 2018, illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing is posing a severe threat to the survival of fish species in the lake. Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake is shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. In the report, IUCN reports that about 76% of the fish species in the lake currently face extinction.

Overfishing is one of the key drivers for the decline of fish species. Illegal fishing gears such as trawl nets and monofilament nets, and the use of unlicensed vessels, contribute to the deletion of the fish stocks in the lake.

The future of Lake Victoria lies in our hands. Let us raise awareness about the dangers of illegal fishing among people.

The founder of Help African Animals was awarded the world’s only advanced legal degree in Animal Law

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Ms. Gladys Kamasanyu, the founder of Help African Animals, was on May 16th, 2020, awarded the world’s only advanced legal degree in Animal Law – LLM in Animal Law by Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon (USA). Many thanks to the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) for the opportunity. Gladys is out to protect animals more than ever.

Human-animal conflict

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  • A community member raising a concern during the meeting about the increase of monkeys in their area

The interaction between wild animals and humans, and the resultant negative impact on people, animals, resources, and habitats have increased over time. Uganda like many other African countries continues to face the problem. As human populations expand and natural habitats shrink, people and animals increasingly come into conflict over space and food. The animals, many of which are already endangered, are often killed in retaliation or to prevent future conflicts.

During the educational campaign conducted by Help African Animals in one of the rural villages in Kapeeka sub-county, Nakaseke district of Uganda, the gentleman standing in the captioned photograph raised a concern about the increased number of monkeys in the community that were destroying their crops. How does one react to monkeys in their garden? Imagine how monkeys run and jump up and down on top trees!

The gentleman was of the view that it was easier for him to poison the monkeys than lose his crops on which he survived with his family members. He, however, feared that if his luck ran out and he got arrested, then that would be too bad for him and his family since he had no money for transport to go to report the problem to district wildlife officers. Our trip was a success! By the end of the campaign, his attitude had changed, a solution had been provided and monkeys were saved.