The killing of a rare mountain gorilla on a Ugandan game reserve in June 2020 made headlines across the world – and brought a pandemic-fuelled surge in illegal hunting in the country into sharp focus.
The silverback, Rafiki, who was believed to be 25 years old, was speared by poachers, whose numbers were increasing after tourism numbers dwindled due to Uganda joining the rest of the world in trying to contain the Covid-19 virus.
People would poach anything, from elephants for ivory and buffalo or wild pigs for food
Stephen Masaba,
Uganda Wildlife Authority
Uganda has 10 national parks – the largest, Murchison Falls, covers almost 4,000 square kilometres – all of which are key to the health of its tourism trade.
As the East African country imposed one of the continent’s most stringent lockdowns, with nightly curfews and orders to work from home, many people lost city jobs and retreated to rural villages.
Hardship was most keenly felt by those working in tourism, an industry devastated by Covid-19.
Without the thousands of park visitors and wildlife tourists, poachers seized the opportunity to hunt illegally, either for food or to supply the illegal wildlife trade.
“Because many people were leaving the towns and moving to the villages during the lockdown we had a big problem with poaching,” said Sam Mwandha, executive director at Uganda Wildlife Authority – a government organisation responsible for managing parks and reserves.
“Some areas saw a rise of 50 per cent in poaching during the pandemic.
“Gorillas are not often poached, but their habitat is also the habitat for duiker, small antelope that are a delicacy for people living in those areas.
"Poachers were putting up duiker snares and catching gorillas. In one case, a silverback gorilla called Rafiki was actually speared.
“It was likely he felt threatened by the poachers and attacked, and they responded with spears and killed him.”
Felix Byamukama in July 2020 pleaded guilty to illegally entering a protected area and killing a gorilla. He was jailed for 11 years.
A little more than 1,000 mountain gorillas exist in the wild, and are an endangered species.
Visitor numbers dropped off spectacularly in March 2020, as Covid-19 arrived in Uganda and international travel ground to a halt.
Travel and other restrictions hit the nation hard because of its heavy reliance on wildlife tourism.
Uganda’s 1.5 million annual visitors generate 7.75 per cent of its gross domestic product and provide 6.7 per cent of national employment.
Many of those jobs are in national parks and game reserves, with tourism worth $1.6 billion to the national economy in 2018-2019.
In a six-year period of growth annual visitor numbers swelled to 330,000 by March 2020. Just three months later a nationwide lockdown reduced those numbers to zero.
Although restrictions eased later in the year, visitor numbers in 2020 fell by 66 per cent.
Tourism employs about 650,000 to 700,000 people, from airports, to transfers, hotels and law enforcement, so many people suffered the consequences.
Poaching, however, increased. The UWA recorded 367 poaching cases between February and June of 2020 – more than twice the number recorded throughout 2019.
Uganda is a major trafficking route for ivory and other wildlife products, mostly originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa and Southern Africa.
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Uganda, bribery and corruption allows well-connected networks of wildlife criminals to take advantage of law-enforcement loopholes to escape prosecution.
High levels of poaching are largely driven by poverty and unemployment in communities near the national parks, while human-wildlife conflict continues as settlements develop near by.
International partnership offers hope
A five-year partnership launched in 2020 between the United States Agency for International Development and Uganda Combating Wildlife Crime aimed to cut wildlife crime by investing in protection measures such as more park rangers, better training and community education.
So far, the activity has supported 258 intelligence-led operations against wildlife crime and procured a mobile canine vehicle fitted with kennels for sniffer dogs to boost operations.
Meanwhile, 23 law enforcement officers from UWA and the Uganda Police Forces have been equipped with intelligence gathering skills and training on how to manage wildlife scenes of crime to improve investigation, detection and prosecution.
Poaching key species can result in a life sentence, but meagre fines of just 20 million Ugandan shillings ($5,500) do little to deter wildlife trafficking gangs who can reap huge sums from selling ivory or pangolin scales.
The average monthly salary in Uganda is about $180.
“When people are travelling together around the parks, the poachers did not come in,” said Stephen Masaba, UWA director of tourism and business development.
“But when the visitor numbers dropped we saw a lot more poachers.
“People did not have food or work so turned to poaching in the parks. It was basic survival for them.
“It offered them wood to cook with, meat and wildlife to steal and then sell on the black market.
“Some people were more adventurous and went into the parks to steal ivory.
“People would poach anything, from elephants for ivory and buffalo or wild pigs for food.
”Our biggest challenge was protecting the big game in the savannah parks and reserves where game drives take place.
“One of the parks is 3,000 square kilometres, so it is a big area to cover, and some are close to the border with Congo, so it gave people more opportunity to poach.”
In October 2020, visitors to Uganda’s parks were made up largely of East African tourists `and totalled 6,472, by December 2021, that number had recovered to 41,348.
There was further improvement in 2021, with numbers growing to 189,000 foreign visitors and East African tourists.
Tourists return but officials warn against complacency
Despite signs of recovery, challenges remain.
In a terrorist attack in Kampala on November 17, three suicide bombers linked to the Allied Democratic Forces further dented Uganda’s tourism ambitions.
One terrorist detonated his vest outside police headquarters with two more blowing themselves up near parliament, killing four and injuring more than 30, the majority of whom were police.
“Chaos caused by these isolated incidents happen all over the world, but people continue to live here and foreign visitors have been reassured, with more bookings,” Mr Masaba said.
“Any country where there is insecurity will have tourism impacted. But Uganda has learnt its lessons of the past and has a strong domestic security strategy.
“We work closely with wider authorities to secure vulnerable areas, such as in the mountains and game reserves.
“Next year we expect our tourism business to return to pre-pandemic levels.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Barbie
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Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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