Uganda Tours, Uganda Safaris, Gorilla Safari News , Uganda Travel & safari

The Uganda Wild life permit members to have access to the centre on a prepaid basis.

The Executive Director of Uwec, Dr Andrew Sseguya, said the programme will be targeting at raising money to cater for wild animals and birds as well as the general maintenance of the centre.

Seguya said that the fact that UWEC has been expensive to maintain so the funds paid in by member will aid in maintainance.
He said this as he was speaking during celebrations to mark the World Environment Day on June 5 at UWEC head offices in Entebbe. The national celebrations were held in Kumi town with the theme “Protect Dry Lands against Desertification”.
UWEC’s thoughts and energies to make collective efforts towards protecting the environment.”

The scheme will require a person or organisation to pay a minimum fee at the beginning of the year that would entitle an individual, or group access to the centre throughout the year.

Under the programme, companies would pay about Shs1 million per year and schools will pay about Shs2 million and get free access to the facilities as well as holding parties within the centre.

Families are also free to join the programme and visit the centre as many times as they wish.

Uwec, popularly known as “Entebbe Zoo”, was opened in 1952, by the then colonial Government in Uganda, as a reception centre for wild animals that were found sick, injured, orphaned and some confiscated from illegal trade.
Uwec is a non-profit making institution, which currently depends on foreign donor funding.
Sseguya said the centre has about 52 species of wild animals, all in healthy condition.He commented that looking after these animals is very expensive and gave an example of A lion which takes about Shs15 to Shs20 million per year, inclusive of treatment costs and feeding. He encouraged people to join Friends of Uwec and contribute towards the well-being of these animals.
Sseguya said although a minimum entrance fee is collected, it is not enough to pay for the operational costs.

He said the centre’s self-generated income, mainly through gate collections, could only account for about 20 per cent of the institution’s operation costs.
Seguya added that the operation of Uwec is expensive and complex compared to annual costs to maintain an entire national park.

Uganda Safari News

A total of 201 poachers in Kamdini parish, Apac district recently capitulated
to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and promised by no means to hunt animals in the Murchison Falls national Park again.

Senior warder Stonewall Kato said the poachers handed in spears, wire, traps, snares. cooking pots and animal trophies.

Kato said that UWA has promised to finance option projects for them which they will identify so as to recover their household income.
He added that the projects would include goat rearing and building schools for the communities.

Uganda Safari News

A tented safari lodge is currently under construction outside Lake Mburo National Park, overlooking lakes Kachera on one side and Mburo on the other. The Mihingo Lodge as it will be known will feature 10 spacious, self contained tents under high shades build of local deadwood and will have a swimming pool and other amenities upon opening. Given the fact that it is located outside the park, the lodge will offer guided walks and mountain bike tours into the 200 acres of surrounding land also belonging to the lodge.
Opening is expected in early 2007. Watch this column for update reports.

By Namisi

Uganda Safari News

Gorillas in Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda are playing hide-and-seek with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials after their return from Rwanda.

The Nyakagezi group of gorillas, which had resided in Rwanda for over a year, were seen about 10 days ago by UWA officials but they disappeared. There is plenty of bamboo, which the gorillas prefer eating and it is unlikely that they went back to Rwanda, she said. Ms Nsubuga said the gorillas appeared calm until a group of elephants moved into the area where the gorillas were staying, probably scaring them away. Gorillas make nests where they sleep every night, giving people monitoring them a clue on the areas they are likely to be occupying.

Lillian Nsubuga, UWA’s spokesperson said she was so excited having them back and a group of U WA officials has been following them ever since they entered Uganda.
The Nyakagezi group is one of the habituated groups, which are at the centre of the country’s eco-tourism that started in the early 1990s.
Habituation is a delicate process through which gorillas get used to human presence without losing their wild character.

There is a global population of only 760 endangered gorillas and more than half of them live in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park.

The remaining population roams the Virugas, which lies astride Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo.
Gorillas have been indescribable in Mgahinga as they move according to seasons.

Uganda Safari News

Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have given birth to eight babies.

Uganda Wildlife Authority’s public relations officer, Lillian Nsubuga said that there will be a naming ceremony for the baby gorillas. Lillian said the most recent birth took place on May 23rd amongst the Habinyanja group. She said that this had raised the population of the group to 22.

Last year before the christening ceremony, Buganda’s queen, Sylvia Nagginda, named one of the baby gorillas, “Ntuse’’ a luganda word meaning “I have reached”. She named the baby Gorilla near Buhoma after encountering them.

Other gorillas were born at Nkuringo and Rushegura, which are approachable to tourists in Bwindi, where more than half of the endangered gorilla populations roam. In the last naming ceremony, prearranged about two years ago, several artistic activities of the Bakiga people such as songs and dances were conducted at Buhoma.

Sources at UWA said gorilla tourism was one of the largest contributors of revenue to the national reserves and Uganda’s Tourism industry.

Uganda Safari News

Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have given birth to eight babies.

Uganda Wildlife Authority’s public relations officer, Lillian Nsubuga said that there will be a naming ceremony for the baby gorillas. Lillian said the most recent birth took place on May 23rd amongst the Habinyanja group. She said that this had raised the population of the group to 22.

Last year before the christening ceremony, Buganda’s queen, Sylvia Nagginda, named one of the baby gorillas, “Ntuse’’ a luganda word meaning “I have reached”. She named the baby Gorilla near Buhoma after encountering them.

Other gorillas were born at Nkuringo and Rushegura, which are approachable to tourists in Bwindi, where more than half of the endangered gorilla populations roam. In the last naming ceremony, prearranged about two years ago, several artistic activities of the Bakiga people such as songs and dances were conducted at Buhoma.

Sources at UWA said gorilla tourism was one of the largest contributors of revenue to the national reserves and Uganda’s Tourism industry.

Gorilla tourism started in the early 1990s and now the most popular tourism activity. More mountain gorillas occur in Mgahinga Gorilla national park, which is part of the virungas that also cover Rwanda and the DR Congo. The gorilla population has increased by about 10% in a decade, causing conservationists to anticipate that the endangered species will survive.

Gorilla tracking is one of the elite tourism activities that appends to the number of tourist influx in Uganda.

Uganda Safari News