UWA Begins Nubian Giraffe Translocation to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in Conservation and Tourism Boost

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that the Uganda Wildlife Authority has started moving four Nubian giraffes from the Murchison Falls Conservation Area to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in northwestern Uganda. UWA says the exercise is intended to broaden the endangered species’ habitat, improve biodiversity and support tourism growth in the West Nile region.

According to the report, Dr. Patrick Atimnedi, UWA’s Assistant Commissioner for Veterinary Services and the team lead for the operation, said the relocation is being carried out under International Union for Conservation of Nature conservation translocation guidelines. Those standards require evidence-based planning, including assessment of habitat suitability, disease risks, stakeholder involvement and follow-up monitoring after release.

The publisher reports that UWA’s decision to return giraffes to Ajai is supported by historical ecological research indicating that the reserve has acacia woodlands suitable for giraffe populations. Conservationists cited in the article expect the animals to help shape vegetation naturally and restore part of the reserve’s earlier wildlife profile. The move falls under UWA’s Giraffe Conservation Strategy, with technical backing from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, including specialist training for UWA staff.

Watchdog Uganda adds that the latest exercise follows earlier UWA giraffe translocations, including the 2015 movement of 15 Nubian giraffes to Lake Mburo National Park and later relocations to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre. UWA says spreading giraffe populations across several protected areas reduces the risk of losses from disease, habitat pressures or other environmental threats, while also creating new attractions that could benefit local tourism-linked livelihoods.