Tour Operators, World Conservation Body Condemn Killing of 11 Lions in Queen Elizabeth Park

Conservationists in Uganda and across the world have condemned the recent killing of 11 lions which were poisoned in Queen Elizabeth national park this week.

World Animal Protection, an international organization which champions the welfare of animals in the wild has come out to condemn the death of the lions in Uganda saying it further threatens the already endangered species.

In a March 13 statement, the organization makes a call for urgency in preventing “such needless decimation of the continent’s remaining big cats”.

The eleven lions which were discovered dead included 3 mothers and 8 cubs which are said to have been poisoned by an aggrieved pastoralist after the lions killed his cow.

“The death of a whole pride of 11 lions in Hamukungu at Queen Elizabeth National Park in Western Uganda, and similar deaths across Africa highlight how urgent it is to do all we can to prevent such needless decimation of the continent’s remaining big cats,” the statement reads in part.

The death of the close to dozen lions in Queen Elizabeth comes at a time when lion population is on a steep decline with about 90 lions left in this park and a total of 400 in all Ugandan parks.

“Human-lion conflict should be treated as an urgency and serious measures taken to stamp out this tit-for-tat mentality and practice,” the organization stated.

The condemnation from World Animal Protection came on the same day the private sector players within Uganda’s tourism also decried the “malicious” act.

“We condemn this malicious act as devoid of moral character by one serial enemy of tourism. Such acts undermine the efforts by tour operators to market the country and attract visitors to Uganda,” the tour operators said in their statement.

They say the deaths of the lions is not only a loss to a sector that contributes over 10% to Uganda’s GDP and a leading foreign exchange earner, but it is also an injury to the entire world.

The private sector has asked government to take action through ensuring that the communities that live inside national parks are relocated to avoid such incidents.

They further demand that the government realigns the profit sharing programs so that the local communities that stay near the wildlife areas realize the benefits of protecting these animals.

In the same statement, they called for a nationwide sensitization in the importance of wildlife.