This
was after they shot down two hippos at a place called Rwemihunda near Kazinga
channel, about 14km inside the park.
According to a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) official who talked to
The Observer on condition of anonymity, the operational rangers were prompted by
the gun shots. According to the district deputy CID, Andrew Salube, a group of
17 armed poachers entered the park on the night of May 2. But their operation
was cut short when the gunshots that killed two hippos tipped off park
authorities who called in police for assistance. “We got the suspects as they
were heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo were they sell their game
meat,” Salube said.
The
poachers were intercepted with their two vehicles at Kinyamaseke trading centre
as they made their way into Congo. The suspects were identified as Charles
Bwambale, Peregerino Bwambale aka Pere, Mbusa Musisi, Lawrence Thembo aka
Elephant and Deo Kyenge, all described as notorious poachers. While being interrogated at Kasese police,
the poachers revealed that they entered the park in a group of 17 people but
seven remained in the park while five escaped. “We entered the park in a group
of 17, but some of our colleagues escaped after sensing danger,” said Kyenge.
The
suspects further confessed before police that it’s their group that has been
killing animals in the park. When asked to produce the guns they used in the
exercise, they said some of the guns were abandoned in the park. Salube noted
that live ammunition was recovered on the scene and carcasses of animals
observed. Inside the car they were travelling in, only two hooves and ribs of a
hippo were recovered. The poachers are to be charged with counts of illegal
entry in a protected area, unlawful killing of a wild species and poaching.
Due
to increased poaching, Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo recently
decided to embark on joint patrols following the death of a gorilla between
Visoke and Sabyinyo volcanoes, an area that has been frequented by poachers in
recent times. The joint patrols coordinated by the Greater Virunga
Trans-boundary Collaboration (GVTC) saved gorillas of 49 snares put up by
poachers to trap the endangered species. Most of the snares, according to a
report released by GVTC, were found out to have been set up recently.
The
renewed coordinated law enforcement efforts began mid-March and will continue
for a period of six months, with the two parks sharing intelligence about the
presence of illegal activity, which threaten the conservation of the park and
its fauna and flora in this area. During the patrols, the rangers destroyed
eight buffalo and hippo snares and five elephant snares. However, Uganda’s laws
remain weak especially when it comes to such crimes like poaching. Usually, the
punishment ranges from Shs 1m fine to two years in jail.
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