LION BREEDING PROJECT IN UGANDA SEEKING MORE THAN $2.6 MILLION AS POPULATION PLUMMET

Sat 20 January 2024:

As the number of lions in Uganda declines, the country is seeking more than $2.6 million to breed the animals, the local media reported on Friday.

“[Committee on] Tourism requires Shs10 billion [around $2.6 million] to start breeding lions through Uganda Wildlife Education Centre [as] […] the lion population in the country has gone down because of human-wildlife conflict,” Chairperson of the Tourism, Trade and Industry Committee Mwine Mpaka said, as cited by local media.

Three national parks, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo, and Murchison Falls, will serve as breeding sites for the animals. All required infrastructure will be installed there.

“It is basically like a cage within a national park, so [lions] will be monitored and treated to create a conducive environment for them to breed and survive in order to increase the population because we are losing several lions every year due to the human-wildlife conflict, electric fences, poisoning. So we need to bring these lions back to our game parks,” the official reportedly pointed out.

According to media reports, Mpaka stated that the group anticipates releasing 15 lions back into the wild every two years, while the nation is losing about 120 lions annually.

Goat breeding is a major problem for the nation in East Africa, in addition to lion breeding. Scientists in Uganda are now developing a new fast-growing meat goat breed to increase the production of the native types, which typically have small bodies and grow slowly.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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