Armed poachers have killed a ranger in western Uganda’s Kibale National Park, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said on Monday.
Sergeant Emmanuel Matsipa was shot dead when he and five colleagues were ambushed on December 5 by about five armed poachers in areas around Kanyantare in Kyenjojo district, the UWA said.
“We have lost another hero” UWA Executive Director Sam Mwandha said. “The increasing numbers of wildlife throughout the country is because of selfless people like Matsipa. The rangers returned with fire, killing one of the poachers, but the others managed to flee” the UWA said in a statement.
The death of Matsipa and others at the hands of armed poachers shows the hostile environment in which they operate to protect and conserve the country’s wildlife heritage.
UWA added in the statement: “Conserving our wildlife resources remains a risky undertaking. We put our lives on the line day and night in executing our mandate and we call upon the public and especially the communities neighboring protected areas to support us in this cause. We should not allow a few selfish individuals to decimate our wildlife for personal benefits at the expense of all Ugandans. Poaching steals from us all!”
Kibale National Park, one of Uganda’s prized tourist attractions, is home to chimpanzees.
Some conservationists refer to the park as the world’s “primate capital” because of the concentration of 13 primate species in one place.
It is also home to 372 bird species, 350 tree species, 71 mammal species, according to the UWA. (Xinhua)
