Community members launch a war on Poachers of Hippopotamuses in queen Elizabeth national park

Good Hope Foundation together with the community wildlife ambassadors organized neighborhood assembly which is a community parliament through which community members come together to dialogue on a community challenge and come up with community-based solutions. The neighborhood assembly attracted 116 (57m and 49f) people from Bukangara village which neighbors queen Elizabeth national park.

The neighborhood assembly was also attended by the sub county leadership including the sub county chief, chairperson LC3, sub county community wildlife officer and many other local leaders. During this gathering, the community members raised a concern about the continued and increasing practice of poaching of hippopotamuses in queen Elizabeth national a practice that has been linked to reduction of hippopotamuses in the national park. According to the chairperson, in the last two months we have already our 3 hippos out of poaching for meat and money. He also added that they have again lost two people we were gunned by the rangers in the national park as they tried to poach the park animals.

The community wildlife officer, explained to the community members the importance of hippos to our community including; attracting revenue from tourists of which that revenue enables the government to construct for the community health centers, schools, good roads and water. He cited the two schools and five water points which were constructed by queen Elizabeth national park as part of revenue sharing to the communities neighboring the national park. It was realized that most of the community didn’t know the importance of hippos to the community and therefore, with all these importance of hippos to the community, the community members agreed together never to tolerate poaching of hippos and they launched a war against poaching in their village and the sub county at large.

They cautioned their fellow men and women with the practice of poaching to stop before the community bylaw catches them. Community members were also requested to keep an eye on each other and report anyone who will be found with meat from the national park 

Share this Article!