OPINION
Recently, the media reported about a demonstration by the communities from four sub-counties in Buliisa district neighboring Murchison Falls National Park(MFNP) who were demonstrating against the government failure to expedite the measures that can stop the elephants from migrating from the park to people’s families. This was observed at the burial of the 51 year-old woman, Kutegeka Kyabadiri Nyajangi, who was killed by an elephant while she had gone to collect firewood together with her granddaughter, Janet Tigulikya, 4, on February 9.
The sub-counties affected by the elephants include Buliisa , Ngwedo , Kigweera and Buliisa town council as well.
While precise statistics on elephant attacks in Uganda are difficult to find, reports indicate that do occur, they are relatively rare compared to other human-wildlife conflicts in the country, with most incidents happening when elephants are encroaching on farmland due to habitat loss, leading to crop-raiding behavior; however, the issue of elephant attacks is a growing concern due to increasing human-elephant interactions as elephant populations recover in certain areas.
It is noted that the elephant’s attacks have become a serious problem to the communities because of continuous killings and injuring of people, destruction and damaging of home, gardens among others. About 14 people have been killed and several others injured by elephants in the last five months.
Human-Animal conflicts in Buliisa district have left most of the communities in the area under a big fear and this has resulted to most of the families to abandon their gardens and also children dropping out of the school because of the continuous attacks by the elephants.
The continuous attacks by elephant’s instigated the prime minister to visit the affected area to assess the impact of elephant’s attacks one year ago, during her visit, she promised that the Murchison Falls National Park will be fenced with electric wire in the period of three months but all are still in vain.
The residents attributes the migration of the elephants from Murchison Fall National Park to oil activities and other oil related activities taking place in the National park including the failure by the Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA) to fence the park in order to stop wild animals from entering people’s families. It is noted that the elephants are migrating from the park because of limited grazing grounds, noise caused by heavy machines and workers of Total Energies and Vibrations cause by the oil rig.
For the government to stop the elephants attacks in Buliisa district, they need to stop all the oil activities from the Murchison Falls National Park, fence the park with electric wires and increase the number of the rangers to monitor the movement of wild life especially the elephants in the park.
If the government fails to put in place the above actions, the elephant attacks in Buliisa is likely to increase famine as a result of crops being destroyed , loss of lives among communities and increased number of school drop outs in the district.
Therefore , to avoid such impacts of elephant attacks, the government to intervene this problem immediately by stopping all the oil activities and other related activities in park and ensure that the national park is fenced with the electric wire in order to stop elephants from migrating from the park to people’s families.
By Paul Kato,
The writer is a Research Associate and Environmental activist.atbAFIEGO
E-mail: katop.adyeeri@gmail.com
