A recent study reveals that lions in certain parts of Uganda have decreased by nearly 30 percent over the last 10 years. This will affect tourism and upset the ecological balance of the country.
The survey was conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York and University of St. Andrews in three major national parks in Uganda- Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park.
The researchers used a buffalo calf distress call in order to track down the total number of predators based on responses to the call and spotted only 408 lions altogether, a number nearly 30 percent less than the total lion population estimated in 2000.
The study was published in a recent edition of conservation journal Oryx. More specifically in Queen Elizabeth Park, the number of lions detected were 144, which were 206 in 2002. In Murchison Falls Park the number of lions has reduced by 60 percent, from 324 to 124 lions. The Kidepo Valley Park was the only exception where the number of lions has increased in the last decade from 58 to 132.
Lions often referred as the 'Pearls of Africa' are losing their reign in most parts of the continent, reports Discovery. The lions are on the brink of extinction and the number of the second largest cat has reduced nearly by 30 percent in western and central Africa in the last two decades.
The WCS study suggests there are only 32,000, lions left in the continent.
The primary reason for the number of lions decreasing in Africa is poisoning by local people. The lions are a major threat to their livestock. The locals often poison the cattle carcass to avenge the death of their animals resulting in lions dying after consuming the poisoned meat.
The declining rate of the lions in Uganda can have serious effect on the ecological balance and the economy of the country say researchers. "Conservation areas, such as Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, which formerly contained the highest biomass of mammals on Earth, depend on the delicate balance between predators and prey," said James Deutsch, executive director of WCS' Africa Program, in a statement. "Their loss would permanently alter two of Africa's great ecosystems."
"Surveys of tourists have shown that they would be 50% less likely to visit the parks in Uganda if they couldn't see lions, and if they did visit they would want to pay less for the experience. As an industry that generates more foreign currency in the country than any other business this could have significant consequences for Uganda," said Dr. Andrew Plumptre, another director of WCS, reveals the study.
