Black back attack kills an Infant
The absentee of the dominant silverback Isabukuru in a gorilla group, gave a chance to black back Kubaha to attack the group members in which a seven-month-old infant Agatako was killed, while his mother Bukima, who was carrying him. Kubaha was aggressive all morning towards all the females in his group.
“Most of the time, Kubaha displayed with chest beats and plant smashing and was tight-lipped and strut-standing towards group members. He was obviously nervous and uptight,” said Joel Glick, the Karisoke Research Center’s interim Gorilla Program coordinator, who was collecting data in Isabukuru’s group at the time.
It is unclear whether Kubaha, who is 11 years old and has not yet reached sexual maturity, was nervous about having to lead the females, or whether he was trying to attract their attention by showing off his strength, or both.
With tension mounting and females occasionally responding to his aggressions with gestures of appeasement or aggression, Kubaha launched a fierce attack against Bukima, who was behind a thick bush on the edge of the mountain. Her loud screams alerted the other females, who ran towards Kubaha. It was then, at noon, that Agatako, who was clinging to his mother, lost his life. However, the view was obscured for observers, so they could not establish beyond any doubt whether Kubaha directly targeted him, or whether he died in the interaction between the aggressor and his mother. Neither Bukima nor the other females sustained any injuries.
By the time Glick reached the group at the bottom of the mountain, just four minutes after Kubaha’s attack, Bukima was carrying her dead infant away from the other gorillas. His tiny body was covered in blood. When she finally laid him on the ground, every individual in the group approached him with curiosity. Bukima paced nervously, as though trying to decide whether to look for Isabukuru’s trail or watch over her dead infant.
This would not, however, be the end of the drama for the day. Kubaha next approached the dead body and started to display with it, as some of the females screamed.
“It was absolutely horrible,” said Glick, visibly shaken. “Kubaha flung the body in the air several times, let it drop to the ground, and then dragged it all over the place. He even chest-beat while holding the body in one hand. There was blood everywhere.”
This lasted for 15 minutes, after which Kubaha finally set down Agatako’s body. It was later recovered by the veterinarians, whose preliminary report indicated “deep puncture wounds,” most likely from canine teeth. This would indicate that Kubaha indeed bit Agatako.
A short while afterward, silverback Isabukuru returned to the gorilla group, unaware of what had happened in his absence. He had spent the morning some 600 meters away, trailing another gorilla group in the vicinity, according to the trackers who followed him. He stared in the direction he had come from and displayed three times, and then all was quiet, with no further aggressions.
Isabukuru himself was responsible for the only other case of presumed intra-group infanticide ever recorded when he was still a black back in Pablo’s group, in December 2006. Soon after he killed one Infant there, he left together with a few females and started the new group that is named after him.
Agatako was born on January 26. He was healthy, and Bukima was taking good care of him. He received his name - which means “ornament” in the local Kinyarwandan language - during the Kwita Izina ceremony last month. He was Bukima’s third offspring. Her previous infants all died as well.
Compiled by
Jackie
Synergising to promote Uganda’s Tourism Industry
Uganda Tourism bodies have joined hands to aggressively market the country ahead of the opening of the Common Market.
According to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Mr Julius Onen, the 14 member committee was formed as part of the Public-Private Partnership initiative aimed at developing a tourism web portal to promote Uganda to the outside world.
“Since we are gifted with numerous tourist attraction sites, we are yet to exploit these resources and market them effectively,” Mr Onen said.
The portal would enable Uganda to market itself and compete with other East African countries because information would be easily accessible to potential tourists, according to Mr Onen.
The committee comprising of members from eight institutions representing private and public stakeholders in the tourism industry is expected to finalize a draft report including developing a structure of the portal in two months time.
“We have to adhere to a strict time frame if we are to compete with countries like Kenya and Rwanda, which spend a lot of resources marketing themselves which in return makes us lose out on business because most of the time people are unaware of what we have to offer,” he said.
With the opening of the EAC Common Market and with the entry of a single tourist visa, competition will be tight meaning that if Uganda is to out-compete it’s neighbors who are at the moment doing better, the country needs to be marketed extensively by providing the necessary information and giving incentives to people interested in developing tourism.
At the same function, it was revealed that vehicles meant for tourism development are now exempted from paying taxes. As the second foreign exchange earner for the country, the tourism industry is slowly recovering from the effects of last year’s financial crisis. In 2008, growth in tourist arrivals was down to 8 per cent, compared to a 19 per cent increase in 2007.
Over the last few years, the government has been looking for ways to project a positive image of the country’s natural resources and cultural heritage with the web portal been one of them.
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Jackie
Mount Rwenzori peak Margherita blocked
The remaining ice cap on Mountain Rwenzori covering the second highest peak in Africa, Margherita,, has split creating a crevasse of 6 meters, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
Rwenzori has about six peaks but Margherita is its highest and most popular the world over. It provides a unique experience to mountain climbers.
The peak was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO and it was recently gazetted as a Ramsar site requiring protection.
Moses Mapesa the Uganda Wild life Authority boss said access to the peak has since been blocked due to global warming. It is caused by gases such as carbon-dioxide from industrial processes, which trap the heat escaping from the earth surface.
Mapesa urged people to minimize activities that affect the eco-system around the mountain, lest more disasters occur.
According to researchers, the ice cap covered six square kilometers 50 years ago. It is now less than a square kilometer.
John Hunwick, the director of Rwenzori Trekking Services, said the crevasse appeared in the glaciers between April 18 and 20.
He added that the glaciers have been melting rapidly during the last four years, saying the country is losing a tourism treasure because it is unique to have ice on the equator.
The senior warden in charge of Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Nelson Guma, said the crack has occurred 5,000 meters above sea level.
He described it as a phenomenon beyond human control.
“This has posed a management challenge to us, but we have to adapt to this challenge,” added Guma.
UWA has dispatched a team to the mountain to ascertain the extent of damage on the route to Margherita, according to Guma. He also said options of re-routing to the peak would be considered.
Guma disclosed that other cracks had been reported on the side of the mountain in Bundibugyo district, adding that there was a possibility of faulting taking place along the mountain ranges.
The Kasese district environment officer, Augustine Koli, attributed the cracks to physical withering of rocks and glaciers.
The melting of the glaciers has also increased water flow into River Semliki, the natural boundary between Uganda and the DR Congo.
The increased water volumes have enhanced the erosive power of River Semliki, causing shifting of the river towards the over degraded banks in Rwebisengo.
Compiled by
Jackie