WCS has been active in Queen Elizabeth National Park monitoring and studying the population of tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of the park. Our results show there are only two prides of lions found here and only one within the tourism circuit of Ishasha. Numbers fluctuate between 20 and 30 individuals because of cub mortality and emigration. Modeling of the viability of such a small population indicates that it is crucially important to maintain transboundary connectivity with other lions in Virunga Park over the international border and also through the Maramagambo forest to lions in the north of the Queen Elizabeth Park. We are able to recognize every individual in Ishasha and have been able to determine that currently there are movements of lions from both the north and from Virunga Park.
The main causes of mortality of lions have been trampling of cubs by buffalos as well as the snaring of adults. Snares are set in the park mainly to catch ungulates for meat and there is little targeted killings of lions here but the loss of adult female lions to snaring has caused major repercussions on the viability of the lions in Ishasha. We have lost three adult females out of only 8-12 in the past 4 years alone. In the north of Queen Elizabeth Park, poisoning of lions has been the major cause of mortality. Here pastoralists regularly graze their cattle in the park and the lions either kill the cattle in the park or follow their trails out of the park and kill them on the pastoralists grazing land. In retaliation the pastoralists lace the cattle carcass with a poison, such as a carbofuran insecticide, and when the lions return to the carcass they are killed along with any other animal that feeds on the carcass such as vultures or hyaenas.
We are now starting a program to work with the pastoralists at the edge of the park to undertake three key objectives:
- Improve their rangeland outside the park so that they don’t bring cattle into the park. We are doing this by funding the removal of invasive Lantana which covers much of the land and once this is achieved we will work on improved grazing methods that prevent the cattle from being so selective on what they eat so that all grasses are selected instead. This stops unpalatable grasses taking over the rangeland.
- Improving access to water for livestock and people. Currently most of the pastoralists households rely on very few water sources outside the park and these often dry up so that they have to access the park for water for themselves and their cattle. Providing boreholes and watering troughs for livestock will help minimize the need to bring livestock into the park.
- Looking at options for fencing certain areas or compensation for livestock loss. Fishing villages exist in the Greater Virunga Landscape and several of these contain livestock. It may make sense to fence these areas to stop lions coming in and killing livestock or people and we want o make a feasibility analysis to assess the cost effectiveness of establishing fences. We also want to assess options for some form of compensation to livestock owners if they lose livestock rather than resorting to killing lions instead.
We have also been undertaking a valuation of lions for the tourism industry to obtain an estimate of how much they contribute to the national economy in Uganda. Lions after mountain gorillas are a main draw for tourists in the country. If tourists fail to see them in Uganda they are likely to switch destination to Kenya or Tanzania with a short visit to Rwanda to see the gorillas rather than opt for a circuit in the region. Fines for lion killings and poaching need to be made at a level nearer their economic value to the country and we believe this valuation study will raise awareness about the need to make the penalty of killing lions more commensurate with their true value.
Our results of the lion and hyaena surveys across Uganda as well as the detailed radio-tracking research in Ishasha and Murchison Falls Park were put together with UWA staff to develop a national large carnivore conservation strategy for Uganda. This ten year plan identifies the main threats to each of the five large carnivores and projects needed to address these threats. It also summarizes the lion and hyaena census together with the detailed study results of the lion population in Ishasha.