Category Archives: Wildlife conservation

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.

Four arrested over the death of lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

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Four men have been arrested in connection with the death of the six lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. These are Ampurire Brain aged 26 years, Tumuhire Vincent aged 49 years, Aliyo Robert aged 40 years and Miliango Davi aged 68 years.

According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the four were arrested last night at Kyenyabutongo village, Rusoroza parish, Kihihi sub-county, Kanungu district during a joint operation mounted by UWA, Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), and police.

Upon arrest, the suspects led the security team to a location where three (3) heads of lions were found hidden in a tree while the fourth one had been buried with fifteen (15) legs of lions under the same tree. Three bottles containing a chemical commonly known as Furadan and a two little jerry can of lion fat oil were recovered in a banana plantation. Two spears, one pang, and one hunting net were found hidden in a garden at the home of one of the suspects.

The carcasses of the six lions were discovered at Ishasha sector on the evening of Friday, March 19th, 2021 upon which discovery investigations were commenced.

Help African Animals applauds UWA and all security agencies that participated in the investigations that led to the arrest of the suspects. Whereas we are well aware that the lives of the lost lions cannot be brought back, we believe that if the culprits are strongly punished, other offenders will be deterred from committing similar offenses hence leading to better protection of the lions and all other wildlife.

The okapi is one of the wildlife species that got extinct in Uganda

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The okapi is a beautiful and unusual animal. The animal which looks like a zebra is related to a giraffe. The okapi is about 1.5m (4.9ft) tall and has a body length of about 2.5m (8.2ft) tall. The animal weighs between 200-350kg (440-770lb). The okapi is native to canopy rain forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. However, the species is now extinct in Uganda. Okapis are currently only found in DRC.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies okapi conservation as endangered. The okapi population has been declining dramatically. The changing politics of Central Africa, hunting, and the continued loss of habitat threaten the beautiful okapi. It is believed that there are currently about 25,000 okapis in the wild.

The okapi is only one of the wildlife species that is endangered. There is a need to do all it takes to protect wildlife.