More Ugandan Elephants at Risk of being killed

Straying elephants from Murchison Falls National Park have been on several occasions reported to destroy the local people’s property. Over 4,000 people have lost there homes and gardens. This comes after they run from their homes last week following frequent attacks by the elephants. Authorities have announced over 500 families in need of help as the animals have put down their crops.

A number of families are now spending nights in the cold because the animals pulled down their houses, other are sleeping on verandahs of buildings at trading centers. They go back home only during the day.

The surrounding community of Murchison falls national park have given the Uganda wild Life Authority (UWA) an ultimatum of one month to drive the elephants into the park, otherwise they are going to slaughter the animals so that they survive this warning was given to UWA. The district Woman MP mentioned this and emphasized that they will take the lead in dealing with the animals in case UWA fails to drive them back into the park before the given period.

Because Agriculture is the main source of income for people in this area, this was going to be done to solve the problem of the increasing poverty. If elephants keep on with this there will not be any hope for the indigenous people to survive. On the other hand, the area conservation manager reported that rangers are by now on the ground to drive the animals back. From 2006 the communities around the park have been fighting tooth and nail to drive away the wild animals that have on average smashed about 10,000 acres of crops in the area annually.

In 2010, the elephants in the same area attacked, killed one person and 11 people seriously injured. Because of these incidences, the local communities that are near the national parks have sent a clear message to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to either drive the wild animals in to the parks or to kill them in self defense.
GORILLA SAFARI NEWS