FYI -- Uganda is a country situated in East Africa.
Here is the Story From the Kampala Post.
Elephants in Uganda are once again in danger of becoming extinct as poaching for ivory remains the order of the day over high demand in South East Asian Countries.
According to the Uganda Conservation Foundation, in the last five years, the price of ivory has rocketed with reports of Asian dealers paying in excess of $1,000 (above 3,500,000) per kilo for the tip of the tusk alone.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, elephant poaching for ivory and bush meat remains extreme.
In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) introduced a ban in International trade of ivory. The move has played a vital role in the recovery of elephant population not only in Uganda but worldwide.
However, the ban did not register complete success as anticipated as elephants were continuously killed specifically for their tusks which are carved into jewellery and ornaments.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has tried to address the issue of poaching through deploying of patrols in all protected areas and arresting people found invading park land without permission from the Authority.
UWA's long Journey to save Elephants:
UWA's long journey to save Uganda's elephants started in 1996 after its establishment following the merger of the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department. Since then, the agency has registered success in the struggle.
UWA Spokesperson, Jossy Muhangi says that Uganda lost most of its elephants during the ancient regimes when poaching was not legally condemned. He adds that the elephant number is currently increasing due to measures undertaken by the government to curb the practice (poaching).
"We are putting in place a lot of measures to safeguard our elephants such as deploying of intelligence units, canine units and other protection measures to reduce the practice of poaching of elephants in our game parks," Muhangi said in an interview with the Kampala Post.
According to the latest estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) African Elephant Specialist Group report, in 2016, Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area had the largest number of elephants with 2, 904 followed by Murchison Falls Conservation Area with 1,352 animals, Kidepo Valley National Park with 621 and others.
Meanwhile, elephant habitat is disappearing due to the expansion of human population which has converted more land to agriculture.
Mr. Muhangi says that the number of elephants in our National Parks has increased in 2017 compared to early years of past regimes and insurgency wars. He attributes the increase to the relative peace in the country, different humanitarian organizations aimed at safeguarding elephants like the 'Giants Club' and efforts by the government through UWA to protect elephants.
UWA's partnership with Humanitarian organizations:
Among the organizations established to save Uganda's elephants is the Giants Club which operates in several African countries including Uganda in partnership with UWA, Ugandan Tourist Board (UTB), United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) among others.
According to the records from the Giants Club, Uganda has the least number of elephants than other member countries with 7,849 elephants followed by Kenya with 25,959 elephants, then Gabon with 50,000 elephants and finally Botswana with 130,451 elephants.
UWA's Muhangi, confirms this saying "It is true we have the least number of elephants compared to other member states which is over 5,000 elephants in Uganda with majority from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park."
The Giants Club is a humanitarian organization which was founded by four African countries which are; Uganda, Kenya, Gabon and Botswana plus global business leaders and elephant protection experts with the major aim of combating the poaching crisis, securing Africa's remaining elephant populations and the landscapes they depend on.
Credits : The Kampala Post, November 16, 2017
Here is the Story From the Kampala Post.
Elephants in Uganda are once again in danger of becoming extinct as poaching for ivory remains the order of the day over high demand in South East Asian Countries.
According to the Uganda Conservation Foundation, in the last five years, the price of ivory has rocketed with reports of Asian dealers paying in excess of $1,000 (above 3,500,000) per kilo for the tip of the tusk alone.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, elephant poaching for ivory and bush meat remains extreme.
In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) introduced a ban in International trade of ivory. The move has played a vital role in the recovery of elephant population not only in Uganda but worldwide.
However, the ban did not register complete success as anticipated as elephants were continuously killed specifically for their tusks which are carved into jewellery and ornaments.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has tried to address the issue of poaching through deploying of patrols in all protected areas and arresting people found invading park land without permission from the Authority.
UWA's long Journey to save Elephants:
UWA's long journey to save Uganda's elephants started in 1996 after its establishment following the merger of the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department. Since then, the agency has registered success in the struggle.
UWA Spokesperson, Jossy Muhangi says that Uganda lost most of its elephants during the ancient regimes when poaching was not legally condemned. He adds that the elephant number is currently increasing due to measures undertaken by the government to curb the practice (poaching).
"We are putting in place a lot of measures to safeguard our elephants such as deploying of intelligence units, canine units and other protection measures to reduce the practice of poaching of elephants in our game parks," Muhangi said in an interview with the Kampala Post.
According to the latest estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) African Elephant Specialist Group report, in 2016, Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area had the largest number of elephants with 2, 904 followed by Murchison Falls Conservation Area with 1,352 animals, Kidepo Valley National Park with 621 and others.
Meanwhile, elephant habitat is disappearing due to the expansion of human population which has converted more land to agriculture.
Mr. Muhangi says that the number of elephants in our National Parks has increased in 2017 compared to early years of past regimes and insurgency wars. He attributes the increase to the relative peace in the country, different humanitarian organizations aimed at safeguarding elephants like the 'Giants Club' and efforts by the government through UWA to protect elephants.
UWA's partnership with Humanitarian organizations:
Among the organizations established to save Uganda's elephants is the Giants Club which operates in several African countries including Uganda in partnership with UWA, Ugandan Tourist Board (UTB), United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) among others.
According to the records from the Giants Club, Uganda has the least number of elephants than other member countries with 7,849 elephants followed by Kenya with 25,959 elephants, then Gabon with 50,000 elephants and finally Botswana with 130,451 elephants.
UWA's Muhangi, confirms this saying "It is true we have the least number of elephants compared to other member states which is over 5,000 elephants in Uganda with majority from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park."
The Giants Club is a humanitarian organization which was founded by four African countries which are; Uganda, Kenya, Gabon and Botswana plus global business leaders and elephant protection experts with the major aim of combating the poaching crisis, securing Africa's remaining elephant populations and the landscapes they depend on.
Credits : The Kampala Post, November 16, 2017
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