Uganda Wildlife Authority Beefs up Security at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Uganda Wildlife Authority Beefs up Security at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary : Uganda Wildlife Authority has beefed up security at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary after there were reported misunderstandings between the Rhino Fund Uganda and the Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranchers.
In a statement issued by the Uganda wildlife Authority dated April 16th 2021, the Authority stated that the beefing up security at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola district is entirely for the safety of the Rhinos that make their home at the above mentioned sanctuary.
The statement further read that the security developments have only come after the Uganda Wildlife Authority deemed it necessary for the Rhinos amidst the on-going misunderstandings between the Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranchers (ZRWR) who are the owners of the land where Rhinos are currently being bred and the Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) the Non-governmental organisation that is currently managing the Rhinos.
The protection of the Rhinos is also under the Uganda wildlife Authority’s mandate to protect wildlife resources in Uganda as per the Uganda Wildlife Act 2019.
It’s also important to note that the Uganda Wildlife Authority is not part of the on-going misunderstandings and remains impartial through the whole process. Without giving many details that Uganda Wildlife Authority stated that it working together with the ministry of tourism, antiques and wildlife to help the two parties come to an amicable place or solution soon Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranches (ZRWR) and Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) n and it’s hopeful that the misunderstandings will be resolved soon.
As the conflicts are being worked out the Rhinos at sanctuary will be moved to other Uganda Wildlife Authority protected areas where the Rhinos will be safe and protected.
Rhinos are part of the big five animals in the wild together with the lions, elephants, leopards and the cape buffaloes. The Rhinos are known for their huge size and enormous strength, hence the reason they are big fives.
Rhinos are also some of the endangered animals in the wild with their population severely reducing in the wild due to different reasons but majorly poaching; hence the need for the Rhinos to be protected. Humans are constantly hurting Rhinos for meat, horns, spiritual rituals and fun – to conquer the big five animal.
In Uganda the Rhino Population was nearly extinct in the early 1990s but through partnerships and several wildlife efforts the country received donations of Rhinos from the Disney Park, the European Union and Kenya. The country then started breeding Rhinos from the Rhinos it had received and they are Rhinos that make up the Rhino population in Uganda.
The Rhinos in Uganda are bred and managed at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is the place under dispute currently. The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has been home to the Rhinos since the early 2000s and still remains the home to the Rhinos in Uganda to this day. The Ziwa Rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola district is the only place or home for Rhinos in Uganda; this means that Rhinos in Uganda can only be found at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary.
All persons wishing to interact with Rhinos in Uganda will therefore have to visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for them to have a Rhino experience which is referred to as a the Rhino tracking experience. During the Rhino tracking experience you take a guided walk through the Rhino habitat to find the Rhino and spend some time gazing at them as they go on with their day to day life.
Rhino tracking is done at fee, which fee helps the Rhino Fund Uganda to continue managing the Rhinos and breeding more to add on the current Rhino number in the wild; especially the number in Uganda.
