The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has once more captured a third hostile crocodile from Lake Albert at Mbegu B Village in Mbegu Parish, Kabaale Sub-county in Hoima District.
The man eater was captured in an operation that took one week near the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) army barracks, according to Mr George Busiinge, the Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve and Hoima Central Wildlife Area Warden.
The warden told this website that the crocodile had been moving out of the lake water at night looking for its prey aground.
Mr Busiinge said that UWA has trans-located the crocodile to Murchison Falls National Park in River Nile.
Audio: Busiinge on trans-location (English)
UWA’s operations to capture the crocodiles from Lake Albert is an intervention following a continuous lake community outcry that the reptiles had proved a big menace to the public and their domestic animals.
The warden called for quick human response in reporting any cases of human-wildlife conflict to UWA officials for immediate intervention as the process of trapping, catching and trans-locating those dangerous reptiles off human surrounding water bodies is underway.
However, Mr Busiinge said where crocodiles are not a menace to people, they will not be trans-located.
Audio: Busiinge on crocodiles (English)
The Mbegu Village Chairman, Mr Moses Onen, said the crocodiles have become a threat to the Lakers after the reptiles having attacked and killed five domestic animals including cows, a pig and sheep in the area in the past year.
He said although wildlife is a source of revenue to Uganda’s economy, the government should prioritise protecting human life rather than of wild animals that are dangerous to man.
“We disagree with the government’s act of valuing wildlife at the expense of human life by allowing dangerous animals to live within human precincts on the grounds of getting revenue. Though wild animals are a source of income to the government, they should be restricted to gazetted places only for tourism to avoid harming people and their domestic animals,” Mr Onene said.
