| That status quo derives from a policy adopted in | | | | authority to bring hunters into the country, handle |
| 2001, when the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), | | | | the importation and exportation of the hunters' |
| the institution mandated to ensure the safety and | | | | ammunition, rifles and trophies, as well as collect |
| preservation of the country's wildlife designed an | | | | the hunting fees. |
| ingenious technique to arrest declining numbers of | | | | With game hunter in the picture, it suddenly |
| the animal population, by curtailing illegal and | | | | wasn't a great idea to summon a platoon of |
| indiscriminate hunting. | | | | hunters to kill one baboon, whose meat does not |
| With an absence of restrictive measures in place, | | | | rank amongst the country's delicacies, when ranch |
| local had previous dealt with wildlife as they | | | | owners could protect a animal that strayed onto |
| wished, killing it as much for food as for the | | | | their land, in the hope that if these hunters came |
| purpose of safeguarding their garden, something | | | | around and killed it, they could earn up to 10% of |
| to which the same wildlife posed a constant | | | | the value that UWA has placed on the animal |
| threat. In the case of the latter, ranch owners, | | | | The value placed on animals, which sport hunters |
| such as those in the neighbourhood of Lake | | | | pay for the game they pursue, ranges from $90 |
| Mburo National Game park in western Uganda, | | | | to over $500. The value placed on a baboon for |
| openly encouraged illegal hunting on their estates | | | | example, is $90, while rare species like the eland |
| as the only way of dealing especially with | | | | cost hunter $650. |
| habivoures that competed with livestock for | | | | The turnaround, in as far as bolstering animal |
| pasture, or hampered crop production. | | | | population is concerned, has been tremendous. |
| The lack of any form of control on hunting of | | | | UWA's report shows only about 5 (on average) |
| these creatures resulted into a tremendous | | | | animals killed every year in comparison to 50 |
| decline of the animals' population and in fact a | | | | animals that were killed per year before the pilot |
| total extinction of some species like the black and | | | | project was put in place and illegal hunting reports |
| white rhinos by the late 1970s. | | | | have reduced by more than half. |
| To Deal with this problem, the UWA's remedy | | | | The conservation effort is earning an average of |
| was drastic as it was innovative. Hunting, which | | | | $2400 a year, collected from sport hunters -and |
| had been bunned in 1979 was re-legalised | | | | even if by any means a mammoth return, it goes |
| -formally recognizing the practice as a sport. This | | | | some way in showing that a little innovation, ranch |
| measure, introduced as a pilot project in Western | | | | owners and wildlife can be turned from foes to |
| Uganda, also had an unprecedented incentive | | | | friends, exactly where UWA wants them to be. |
| thrown into the works: ranch owners would be | | | | That ultimately ensures tourists and sport hunting |
| paid for animals killed on their farms. | | | | enthusiasts have more to aim at, whether it is |
| UWA then went ahead to license a company, | | | | with camera lens or hunting rifle. And of course, |
| Game Trails Uganda Limited, to which it developed | | | | the county's wildlife get to live a while longer. |