Regional Centers to Ease Pressure on Entebbe Zoo, UWA Chief Announces

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has announced that the various regional satellite centers throughout the nation will house densely populated wildlife species at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center (UWEC), which is widely known as Entebbe Zoo.

UWEC has acquired plots within national forest reserves located in Mbale, Gulu, Kyenjojo districts, as well as in the Fort Portal Tourism City area, with plans to build regional zoos aimed at easing congestion at the Entebbe Zoo, boosting tourism activities, and enhancing educational programs focused on wildlife preservation. According to Dr. James Musinguzi, who serves as the executive director of UWA, Uganda currently lacks additional facilities for relocating animals post-breeding from their primary habitat at the Entebbe facility.

“Many of our creatures at Entebbe undergo implant procedures to manage their population, but with new satellite centers, the surplus offspring from these facilities will be transferred here for an excellent quality of life,” stated Mr. Musinguzi.

He mentioned that they are setting up zoos in Gulu, Mbarara, Fort Portal, and Mbale, with the initial phase of construction reaching 90 percent completion in each location. “Concerning the Mbale satellite center, we’ve made significant progress and are approximately 90 percent complete for the first stage,” he stated.

In this initial stage of the project, we’ve installed several exhibits including one for lions and another for birds. By July, we expect animals to arrive here with the aim of boosting regional tourism as well as promoting conservation education,” stated Mr. Musinguzi.

While speaking to the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism and Trade during their visit to inspect the development status of theMbale City Zoo over the weekend, he shared his thoughts. Construction work at this facility, situated along the Mbale-Tororo highway, commenced back in June.

Mr David Musingo, who serves as the head warden at UWEC, informed lawmakers that their initiative began in Mbale due to its extensive coverage zone and advantageous location. The NFA provided the land for this center within Mbale City. It is anticipated that the initial stage of this endeavor will require an investment of approximately 6.4 billion shillings.

We have acquired land in four areas throughout Uganda; however, our initial focus was on the Mbale center due to its extensive coverage area which includes Bugisu, Bukedi, Sebei, and extends as far as Busoga. Another key consideration for starting here was the strategic positioning—being close to the urban hub and adjacent to a cultural site in Mutoto,” he explained. According to Mr. Musingo, this center provides an opportunity to attract tourists from Kenya and also caters to travelers passing through between Sudan and Kenya.

He further mentioned that they intend to utilize these centers for restocking the national parks which lack certain species. “Entebbe Zoo houses 18 lions by itself; however, finding some animals nowadays is quite challenging. For instance, spotting a lion at Kidepo Valley National Park along with other felines has become difficult,” he explained. He continued, “[At the center], many of our animals carry implants for management purposes. Notably, Uganda stands as the sole country in Eastern, Central, and Western Africa possessing tigers, boasting four such creatures here. With these facilities, we aim to enable breeding.”

The Members of Parliament, led by Ms Betty Engola, the Woman Representative for Apac District, expressed their satisfaction with the progress being made on the construction site. As chairperson of the session, Ms Engola noted that the legislators observed substantial advancement within the stipulated period and pledged support to secure additional funding to keep the initiatives from halting.

Nonetheless, our primary focus remains on draining the region,” stated Ms. Engola. She added that they aim to secure additional funding to prevent any delays since this initiative holds significant importance for both locals and the administration. Mr. Karim Masaba, who represents the Industrial City Division in Mbale as an MP and serves as the opposition’s spokesperson for tourism matters, noted that upon completion, the venture will open up substantial opportunities for visitors.

“Particularly Bugisu and Mbale stand to benefit greatly from this initiative, and it’s positive that the initial stage has been completed,” stated Mr. Masaba.

About Mbale centre

The development of the Mbale Satellite Zoo began back in June on a 37-acre plot along the Mbale-Tororo highway, close to the Mutoto cultural site.

The administrative section, boundary wall, and majority of the displays have been finished with operations scheduled to start in July.