More Cheetahs Seen in Uganda’s Kidepo National Park
The Park is located in north east of Uganda covering an area of about 1, 436 sq. km, sharing a border with Kenya and South Sudan. It’s a home to a wide biodiversity of world life having four out of the big five mammals such as elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, other species include giraffe, various antelope species, baboon, bush baby and over 200 species of bird.
Cheetahs are among the rarest wild animals and are elusive animals that belong to the cat family, but prior there were fears that these rare specie are no longer exist at the park and in Uganda they are only found in the Karamoja sub region. However information reaching wildlife conservation indicates that there is an increased sighting of these species and many visitors who are interested in wildlife viewing are rewarded a lot as it is becoming common to encounter cheetahs at the park. Last month only, tourists encountered six cheetahs. This is part of the thrilling moments for visitors intending to see the big cats at Kidepo,” said Masereka the conservation area manager.
Although cheetahs are categorized among the endangered species which are listed under Appendix 1 of the convention on international Trade on Endangered species of wild flora and fauna, are regarded among the key tourist attraction Uganda has. In essence, this means that if nothing is done to protect them or their habitat, they will die out. The conservation manager Mr. Masereka also added that preservation efforts in protected areas such as Kidepo will help to secure the park and nearby landscapes such as the animals corridors for wildlife to prosper.
Information from the Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) also indicates that the cheetah population is still small about 20 in number but it is growing and the prospects have never been brighter than now and frequent sighting is expected to boost the popularity of kidepo valley.He added that more tourists are called upon to continue coming to Uganda as Uganda is a pearl of Africa with very many tourist spots they won’t be left the same.
