Michael Kegwin - Founder
Murchison Falls National Park
The Uganda Conservation Foundation is dedicated to protecting Uganda's national parks, protected areas and conservancies. They do this in three ways: recovering neglected protected areas and their wildlife populations, mitigating human-wildlife conflict and improving the livelihoods of communities close to the protected areas. They help provide rangers with what they need to do their jobs and conserve wildlife through investing in key infrastructure such as veterinary labs to treat wounded animals, and ranger posts to protect them. Through engaging schools, communities and cultural institutions, they hope to bring a sustainable legacy to conservation. A recent OAT visit to UCF allowed us to see first hand the great work being done. The Murchison Falls Recovery Project seeks to combat poaching, improve animal welfare and expand tourism in the Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls was once famed for its wildlife; elephant numbers in Uganda were over 30,000 and half that population was found in the Murchison Falls National Park. Since then, hunting for ivory has seen a decline of over 80% in the elephant population. Poaching has increased dramatically and snares and traps have become a huge problem. UCF aim to tackle this through support of law enforcement and supplying people with alternative means of income to poaching. They have also helped support the Uganda Wildlife Authorities veterinary unit in Murchison falls which helps to improve animal welfare and mitigate the problems caused by the increasing number of life-threatening snares.
What Uganda Conservation Foundation Project does
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Restore protected areas that have been neglected through management, and anti poaching and wildlife crime initiatives
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Support wildlife populations by supporting those that protect them and investing in infrastructure such as vet units
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Work with communities to mitigate ever-increasing human-wildlife conflict
How Olsen Animal Trust helps
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Funding of a Toyota Land Cruiser and necessary modifications to allow the vet to reach animals in distress
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Funding for vet drugs and supplies
Project Images - hover over for details
Wildlife numbers
Murchison Falls was once famed for its abundance of wildlife but sadly these numbers have drastically dwindled due to hunting for sport and, from poaching for the illegal trade in wildlife and its products. Poaching has increased dramatically and snares and traps have become a huge problem.
OAT mobile vet unit
OAT sponsored veterinary vehicle and unit responding to an emergency in the field.
Vet team in action
Vet team de-snaring a giraffe.
Snared antelope
Snared antelope that was thankfully found by the veterinary team and the victim was relieved of his suffering.
Snared lion
Vet team attending to a snared lioness in the field.
Treated elephant wound
The foot of an elephant after snare had been removed and the wound was treated.
Snares and traps
Wildlife officer showing some of the traps and snares that have been either removed from the national park, confiscated from poachers and some which have been removed from the trapped animals.
Confiscated ivory
Stockpile of elephant, rhino and hippo ivory that has been confiscated from poachers in and around the national park.
OATOKE's visit to UCF
Dave, our OATOKE during his visit to Uganda and the Uganda Conservation Project. Featured fro left to right with Mike Keigwan, CEO UCF, Park Warden Juma Muhamad, Julius Obwana, Head warden in charge of law enforcement who was awarded African Ranger of the Year 2018 by Tusk Trust and Dave Higgs - OATOKE.
For further information on the work of Uganda Conservation Foundation please visit www.ugandacf.org