Locals of Pabit Parish in Purongo Sub County in Nwoya district have asked the government to licence them guns to use for protecting themselves from marauding animals from the nearby Murchison Falls National Park.
Pabit Parish has since 2008 regular been a roaming ground for elephants and other wild animals, according to locals. It is said the elephants began moving to the area after increased activities in Murchison Falls National Park, where at the time oil exploration was taking place. Exploration has now stopped as Uganda prepares to transit to oil production.
Speaking yesterday during a stakeholders meeting organized by Total Uganda and CNOOC, two oil companies operating in operating in Nwoya district.
Aliya Oringa who has lived in Pabit since 1961 asked for government to license guns to locals to use for protecting themselves against attacks from animals like lions and elephants. Oringa told the meeting he had lost 8 acres of rice in 2015 to wild animals and has since then relocated to Lukai in Alero Sub County where he is now hiring land to cultivate his crops.
“To continue staying in Pabit parish means you risking life because by 6pm the whole place is taken up elephants,” he said.
Purongo, Anaka and Koch Goma Sub counties in Nwoya district are the most affected by roaming wild animals since it surrounds Murchison Park. Poaching is also common in these areas because of proximity to park. Some use guns while others use traditional traps to catch wild game from the park—a protected wild life area.
Animal human conflict increased in Nwoya and Purongo when people began to return to their homes in 2006 after two- decades of displacement in internally displaced persons camps.
2 Comments
No; I do not think this is the right thing to do. Ask for guns to be given to the locals who are vulnerable to suicides, violence, fights over lands etc? There should be more rangers trained to deal with these. Also with time there should be police helicopters in case of emergency. Look at America, they put guns in the hands of locals but see the level of violence.
Lee ducu ma ngolle i kin gangi myero lwak gubed ki twero me nekkogi kadi ki okwak, tong kit macon ni.
Why not encorage them to set up lodges for Tourists.It would give them more capital and teach them how to interact with these animals