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.
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Uganda’s Serena to join TPSEA stable
The Managing Director of the firm that owns the Serena Hotels(accommodation) in Uganda, Mahmud Jan Mohamed, said on Monday that incorporating the Ugandan firm into the group would go a long way in enabling them to cushion the entity against losses and also increase their shareholders’ value.
“This now gives TPSEA a presence in Uganda and obviously in the long term our objective is to continue with the strategy and hopefully bring in Rwanda and (later) Mozambique to make our public company a very strong vehicle,” he said.
The firm enhanced its presence in Uganda late last year with the acquisition of ‘The Ranch on the Lake’ now Lake Victoria Serena Resort which is the second TPS operation after Kampala Serena.
The integration of TPS Uganda will follow its acquisition through a 100 percent share swap and will go ahead once the requisite regulatory approvals from both Kenya’s and Uganda’s Capital Markets Authorities and the Nairobi Stock Exchange are granted.
A detailed pricing structure and timings of how the process will take place will be released once the group gets the nod from the authorities.
TPSEA started implementing this strategy in 2004 when it integrated the Tanzanian and Zanzibar operations with Kenya’s in a bid to diversify its risk.
This has worked positively for the company particularly in 2008 when the negative impact of the post election violence negatively affected Kenya’s tourism sector, Tanzanian’s operations contributed significantly to the entity’s bottom line.
“The process will bring in more units into the TPSEA and would be a medium term venture that would take about four years to conclude.”
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Uganda Government to Revamp 65 Museums
The Government of Uganda has pledged to revamp 65 museums in order to boost the tourism industry, the State Minister for Tourism, Serapio Rukondo, has said.
He made the disclosure in a speech read by the acting principal wildlife officer, Akankwasa Barirega, during the launch of the first community museums exhibition at the National Theatre in Kampala on Wednesday.
A map showing the existing rural museums was also launched at the ceremony.
The minister pointed out that the Government will use research and innovation to promote tourism.
Rukundo said the Government will organize rural and international exhibitions.
“Studies have shown that cultural heritage is a better source of revenue from tourists,” Rukundo said.
The exhibition was organized by the Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda.
Items exhibited included traditional items from Teso, Karamoja, Busoga, Bugisu, Banyoro, Ankole and Buganda.
Participants in the exhibition included Karamoja Women Cultural Group, Iteso Cultural Centre, Jinja Research Centre, Butambala Heritage Centre of Civilization and Jinja Museum.
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Gorilla Campaign Raises Sh.120 Million
“Friend a gorilla” campaign, launched six months ago, has raised $60,000 (about sh120m), a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) chief has said.
The internet based campaign friendagorilla.org is expected to raise $500,000 (about sh1b) more, Said the acting director Sam Mwandha.
On Monday, Hollywood stars Simon Curtis, who tracked gorillas last year, and Corey Gibson, together with Ugandan musicians Maurice Kirya, Isaiah Katumwa, Cindy and GNL Zamba, began an expedition to Bwindi Impenetrable Park to record a documentary in support of mountain gorilla conservation.
Gibson said the documentary would spread awareness about the beasts.
There are only about 780 mountain gorillas in the world, located in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of the 780 population, more than half of the mountain gorillas live in Uganda.
The group will also engage in community activities, particularly natural resource-based ones near Bwindi National park.
UWA, with the support of a United States Agency for International Development-funded project, have created partnership among different stakeholders to promote conservation and tourism.
Meanwhile, a documentary on mountain gorillas used in the Friend A Gorilla Campaign in 2009 has won second place in the prestigious Tour Film Brazil International Tourism Film Festival, according to a press statement.
The documentary starred Curtis and another holly wood big name, Jason Biggs
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Rwanda loses three Mountain Gorillas
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, has lost three baby mountain gorillas and an adult possibly from a combination of extremely cold and rainy weather, said the wildlife authorities.
Around 680 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, making them one of the world's most endangered great apes, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement.
The cause of death is not yet known but there was no indication of foul play, the statement added.
"We are all shocked and saddened by the death of these baby gorillas as well as the adult female, and by the grave implications for the mountain gorilla population as a whole," Eugene Rutagarama, director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), said in the statement.
Half of the populations of Endangered Mountain Gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda and the rest live in the Virunga chain of volcanoes, which straddle the central African countries of Rwanda, Uganda (Mgahinga National park) and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The primates are under threat from poachers, the destruction of their habitat, the live ape trade, disease and fragmentation, the WWF said.
Rwanda's gorilla-viewing tourism industry is a leading source of foreign exchange.
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Trade and Tourism Ministry to lead a group to Turkey
The minister of Tourism, Trade and industry, Major General Kahinda Otafire has confirmed his ministry is leading a delegation of Ugandan business people to theTurkish seven-day-second-global business conference starting on June 14.
The trade fair, running from June 14 – 20, is expected to enhance business and trade relations between Turkey’s leading manufacturers and import companies from over 150 countries.
Vice-President Prof Gilbert Bukenya led similar delegations for the last two years.
Reverend Father Simon Lokodo, the industry state minister, represented the trade ministry last year where 2,250 business people from 135 countries converged at Istanbul for a similar seven-day event of experience sharing and deals’ clinching with the 400 Turkish companies.
Reports indicate that 3,000 people turned up last year.
Unlike last year where applications where coordinated by the Turkish community here, this time all applications are on line at www.tuskonwtb.com. The deadline is May 1. Uganda’s imports from Turkey have been growing every year.
According to Ejder Kilic, the chairman of the Turkish community in Uganda and Hakki Aydin, the headmaster of Turkish Light Academy, the previous visits by Professor Bukenya has attracted 19 Turkish companies to Uganda.
These include Istanbul Ltd (general merchandise), Turkish Sule Cable (cable manufacturing), Milad Uganda (textile)and Insicam (construction).
Ejder said the opening up of the Turkish embassy here and the decision to extend Turkish Airlines flights to Uganda starting June will enhance the partnership potential for Turkish companies most especially those in construction, mining, energy, tourism and agriculture.
Eng. Nelson Gagawala, the trade state minister said Uganda’s trade with Turkey has been growing. Records show that in 2009, Turkey’s export volume to Africa was $10.1b and its import volume was $5.6b. Africa’s share of Turkey’s export volume was only 4% before 2009, a figure that increased by 10% last year.
With its liberal and trade-oriented policies, Turkey’s population of 70 million, is mainly of young people aged below 34 years. On average, the country attained 7% growth in the last six years.
Being the 15th largest economy, according to IMF, the Turkish economy is much diversified. Records show that Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) stood at $663b in 2007 and its per capita GDP reached $9.629 in the same year. It is ranked 9th in world in tourism earnings with over 23.3 million tourists visiting every year.
Its location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa gives it the advantage of becoming the hub for multinational corporations.
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Mountain Gorillas suffer as Eco-tourists get closer to them
The Mountain Gorillas are being dangerously stressed by tourists whose attentions are disrupting the animals' feeding routines and making them aggressive.
Researchers who have just completed a year-long study of the great apes at Bai Hokou in the Central African Republic have discovered the important implications for the tourism industry.
Uganda’s Eco-tourism has become extremely popular, providing travelers with opportunities to get close to rare species, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Money raised in this way has helped to preserve endangered animals and bring employment to the local people in the countries.
In Uganda, gorilla tourism brings in an estimated £345,000 a month from the sale of permit fees alone.
But now scientists warn that greater care will be needed. Not only do tourists disturb the animals, but so do research teams studying the animals' behaviors and their interaction with tourists. It is recommended that the minimum distance between humans and gorillas be increased from seven to 18 meters.
"We got a lot of warning barks from the male silverback in a band of gorillas if we went too close," said Michelle Klailova of Stirling University. "And you ignore a male gorilla's barking at your peril, for there is a real danger that it will turn into something much worse, like a full-blown charge. They can kill very easily. They know exactly where to bite a person."
Great apes are known to be vulnerable to human diseases. A common cold has the potential to kill an entire family group. Research at the Tai chimpanzee project in Ivory Coast found that 15 young chimpanzees who died in three disease outbreaks there had been infected with viral strains that were very similar to those found in humans.
As numbers in a group increased, the gorillas spent less time feeding and instead behaved in a disturbed, unfocused manner. Klailova found that Makumba was more likely to stop feeding and start watching humans as observers moved closer.
Making a male gorilla angrier could lead to him attacking humans or female gorillas in his own band. Either way, the reaction reveals that animals that are now hovering at the edge of extinction are being further stressed.
Klailova admitted that a recommended gap of 18 meters "is not a realistic goal in dense forests, particularly for tourists who have spent valuable time and effort to see the gorillas". But in clearings and in open land, where there are good sight lines, it should definitely be adhered to.
The suggestion will find support from other scientists who have called for increased protection for great apes. Other proposals have included suggestions that all tourists be required to wear face masks to block any transmission of human diseases.
However, the prospect of wearing masks all the time while only being allowed distant glimpses of animals could have a detrimental impact on gorilla-watching holidays.
Eco-tourism has become an important source of income for remote African communities. Foreign visitors who come to enjoy the sights and sounds of natural parks have become a strong motivation for governments to invest in conservation, while the presence of researchers, tourists and tourism infrastructure can work as a strong deterrent to poachers.
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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.
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Karuma electric plant to preserve Tourists activities
Uganda to get another hydro-electric plant, at Karuma Falls of the Nile River in the western part of the country.
According to sources in the ministry of energy, set for construction start by July of this year, the electric plant will be constructed just before the river enters Murchison Falls National Park near Karuma wild reserve.
The good news is that a tunnel version is being used in this hydro-electric plant, the environmental and social impact is considered much lower compared to a power plant using a dam, as recently described for the Bujagali venture. There fore much of the spectacular rapids will be visible for tourists.
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Chartis Uganda extends Travelers Policies due to bad Weather
Chartis Uganda is extending travelers’ policies to cover extra travel time associated with flight delays due to the recent volcanic ash clouds over Europe.
Usually, policyholders have to pay for an extension should their Safari be delayed.
But considering the circumstances, we are stepping in to ensure our clients are covered for the period mentioned above.
“We believe that this shall go a long way in easing the various inconveniences,” said Alex Wanjohi, the managing director.
In a statement to all holders of travel insurance, Wajohi explained that all policyholders, whose policies were purchased before April 13, when airspace was shutdown in Europe, and who have been or will be affected by the disruption of flights, will be entitled to some remedy.
“Those that are already on their journey or those that have changed their tour dates because of the interruptions shall be entitled to an automatic extension on their policy.
“Those that have cancelled the trip altogether and have no claim to make, shall have their policy cancelled and a full refund of premium,” he said.
Wanjohi advised all the affected policyholders to contact the airline to check that the flight has been cancelled and confirm alternative arrangements or contact their travel agent or airline and/or accommodation providers to see what costs they will meet or amendment concessions or refunds they are prepared to provide before approaching Chartis for redress.
In a separate interview, Wanjohi underscored the role of travel insurance and urged all travelers to consider taking cover whenever they are traveling.
Travel insurance among other risks covers, emergency medical services, dental, optical and follow-up, death or permanent disability, cancellation and curtailment costs, baggage or cash loss, hijack costs and personal liability.
He advised intending travelers to evaluate their trips.
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