BROWN SNAKE EAGLE; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Scientifically referred to as Circaetus cinereus is one of the popular birds of prey always explored on Uganda birding safaris and tours. Belonging to the family Accipitridae and Circaetus Genus, the Brown snake eagle thrives in the East, West and South of Africa.

The Brown snake eagle is all brown with some of them featuring some white feathers. The fledging of the juvenile occurs between 60 – 100 days in the nest after which it goes independent. They feature brown tail with white tip and barring. The legs are long and bare while the feet are pale gray. The eyes of brown snake eagle are yellow while the beak is black in colour as viewed on birding safari in Uganda.

This bird species are notably quiet only vocalizing while in flight, when carrying snake or during displays.  They spend great deal of time perched in a tree or at a high place such as an electric pylon.  The brown snake eagle features average size and extends to only 60 – 70cm in height.  They feature a life span of seven (7) – ten (10) years.

Regarding diet, the brown snake eagle, consumes mainly snakes and possess the capacity to kill even venomous snakes such as Cobras. Their natural protection against bites is their thick-skinned legs. Apart from snakes, the brown snake eagles also consume small mammals and lizards.

They tend to occupy nests that have been made by other birds or repair the partially destroyed and deserted nests. In situation where they intend to build a new one, they look out for a high rock or a tree that is distant from predator habitat and human settlement.  Just like other snake eagle species, the brown snake eagle lays one (1) egg every year and the female undertakes the incubation.

The Brown snake eagle thrives in arid, open and dense woodland between 0 – 2,500m above sea level and would avoid lowland forested areas and deserts.   They are listed as species of least concern on the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Birders on Uganda Safaris can gain chances of viewing brown snake eagle in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

13 DAYS HAVE PAST BUT THE MEMORIES OF NDAHURA SILVERBACK STILL LINGER – UGANDA GORILLA SAFARI NEWS

Ndahura the re-known member and Silverback of Bitukura gorilla group normally explored on the Uganda gorilla safaris and tours is recorded to have lost its life on Dec 18^th after it fell from a tree branch.

At around 8am, Ndahura is noted to have fell from a tall tree about 50m where it was feeding on the Chrysophylum fruits when the branch could not sustain its weight. Sadly, Ndahura could not hold on any other branch to break its fall and to make matters worse, the broken branch fell on top of him while on ground. Ndahura later struggled to sit up after the removal of the broken branch by the trackers but he remained is a state of shock for like ten (10) minutes after which he breathed his last at around 8:30am which is the usual time when the travelers on Gorilla safaris in Uganda head  to the forest to track gorillas after briefing.

The post-mortem was conducted by the team from the Gorilla Doctors and report indicates that he died of massive trauma but also his left femur had sustained multiple fractures, neck bones and shoulder had dislocated, large intestines had ruptured and most of his organs had sustained massive haemorrhages.  The death of Ndahura was very accidental as he had not even featured a lot of sickness history with the only one being the dental injuries which it sustained following a fight with a wild gorilla.

With such premature departure, the memories of Ndahura are still felt within its Gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable forest, the trackers, the travelers on gorilla tracking safaris in Uganda exploring Bitukura gorilla group and entire stake holders in the conservation world.

Ndahura Silverback is noted to have died at the age of twenty eight (28) years and the Rukumu Silverback is anticipated to assume the leadership of Bitukura Gorilla group.  Bitukura is one of the three habituated Mountain Gorilla groups in Ruhija sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park along with Oruzogo and Kyagurilo. Twelve gorilla groups are habituated in Bwindi in four regions and more two that are still undergoing habituation. This combines to make the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda worth undertaking.

LAKE HEIGHTS ENTEBBE; AN EXCITING MIDRANGE HOTEL CLOSE TO AIRPORT – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Lake Heights Entebbe is one the recently added Uganda Safari tour hotels positioned at close proximity to the Entebbe International Airport – the main gateway to the destination Uganda.

Part of the internationally known Bon Hotels, the Lake Heights Entebbe features a boutique style setting comprising of thirty three (33) impressively designed rooms with uninterrupted views of Lake Victoria – the Africa’s largest lake. The rooms are marked with cozy beds, work spaces, high speed Wi-Fi that is complimentary, TV with DSTV, Tea and Coffee making facilities, Mini Safe, Complementary mineral water, Mini-bar stocked upon request, hair dryer and natural lighting making guest stay including those on Vacation Safari in Uganda memorable.

Whether the guest opts to stay in any of the nine (9) standard rooms or eighteen (18) executive rooms, four (4) Kitchenette Club rooms and two (2) Business Club Suites, the comfort is unmatchable and rewarding.

The hotel presents a wide range of facilities including a fitness centre, Swimming pool, marina conference centre and Business centre which helps the guests to run their businesses as usual. This makes the hotel a home away from home making the guest stay very comfortable even for those on Uganda gorilla safaris.  The restaurant and bar are well set and equipped to cater for a myriad of travellers from various regions of the world.

With such background, the Lake Heights Hotel Entebbe can be considered among the hotels that can be used for the first and last night accommodation for the Uganda tour undertakers.

THE AFRICAN GREY PARROT; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Scientifically referred to as Psittacus erithacus, the African grey parrot is a notable Old World parrot belonging to the family Psittacidae and thrives in the equatorial Africa including Uganda where it is explored on Uganda birding safaris and tours.

The Grey Parrot possesses a medium size and majorly grey colour with black bill stretching to 400g in size and 33cm in length with the mean wingspan of 46 – 52cm. The Congo Subspecies feature lighter grey plumage but with dark grey on the wings and over the head while the feathers of the tail are red in colour as often viewed on birding safari in Uganda. The Timneh Subspecies feature dark gray plumage with dark maroon colored tail and the pink colored portion on their beak.

The African Grey Parrots is spread in range from the East African Safari tour destination of Kenya to east of Ivory Coast. They thrive in dense forests, forest edges and in open vegetation such as savannah and gallery forests.  They are noted to live 40 – 60 years in captivity but their lifespan in the wilderness can be less than 23 years.

Regarding breeding, the African grey parrots are notable monogamous breeders that construct their nests in the tree cavities and each couple occupies its own tree. The female parrot (hen) lays three (3) to five (5) eggs and the incubation period lasts 30 days as the male provides food. The caring of the chick is done by both partners until they are ready to go on their own.

The African grey parrot feed on nuts, fruit along with seeds but they also consume snails and insects as at times explored while on Uganda tours.

The predators of the African grey parrots include palm nut vultures along with a range of raptors. Humans are also a big threat as they attempt to keep them as pets. They are listed as vulnerable under the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

THE AFRICAN GREY PARROT; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Scientifically referred to as Psittacus erithacus, the African grey parrot is a notable Old World parrot belonging to the family Psittacidae and thrives in the equatorial Africa including Uganda where it is explored on Uganda birding safaris and tours.

The Grey Parrot possesses a medium size and majorly grey colour with black bill stretching to 400g in size and 33cm in length with the mean wingspan of 46 – 52cm. The Congo Subspecies feature lighter grey plumage but with dark grey on the wings and over the head while the feathers of the tail are red in colour as often viewed on birding safari in Uganda. The Timneh Subspecies feature dark gray plumage with dark maroon colored tail and the pink colored portion on their beak.

The African Grey Parrots is spread in range from the East African Safari tour destination of Kenya to east of Ivory Coast. They thrive in dense forests, forest edges and in open vegetation such as savannah and gallery forests.  They are noted to live 40 – 60 years in captivity but their lifespan in the wilderness can be less than 23 years.

Regarding breeding, the African grey parrots are notable monogamous breeders that construct their nests in the tree cavities and each couple occupies its own tree. The female parrot (hen) lays three (3) to five (5) eggs and the incubation period lasts 30 days as the male provides food. The caring of the chick is done by both partners until they are ready to go on their own.

The African grey parrot feed on nuts, fruit along with seeds but they also consume snails and insects as at times explored while on Uganda tours.

The predators of the African grey parrots include palm nut vultures along with a range of raptors. Humans are also a big threat as they attempt to keep them as pets. They are listed as vulnerable under the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

UGANDA ON THE MOVE TO REVIVE A NATIONAL CARRIER – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

The destination Uganda is noted to be on the move to see the National carrier revive operations before the fall of the year 2017 so as to simplify the Air travel to and from Uganda among the world travelers including Uganda Safari tour undertakers.

It is speculated that the Officials from the Government have set the month of August 2017 to see the wings of Uganda Airlines fly again following a grounding period of sixteen (16) years.  The negotiations with the Aircraft manufacturers namely; France’s Airbus and Canadian’s Bombardier are ongoing with the intention to have the planes for the initial operations leased.  A count of six (6) Aircrafts are anticipated to be leased where the four (4) of them will be allocated to short haul flights and the remaining two (2) for long haul flights thus facilitating the travel of travelers on Safaris to Uganda from both close and distant areas.

The State Minister for Works and Transport Mr. Aggrey Bagiire confirmed the Government move towards the initiative and noted that processes, protocols and eventually the cabinet paper have been followed and developed respectively and now awaiting the cabinet’s adoption after which it will be presented to Parliament for approval and funding.

The carrier intends to rely on leased Aircrafts for the first two years of operation after which it will buy its own since leasing proves to be affordable in the short run but expensive in the long run.

This commitment was reiterated by the President while marking the 54^th Independence Celebrations in Luuka district when he acknowledged that reviving the national carrier would save the colossal income outflow as Ugandans are now estimated to be spending over $420 million in travel.

Generally, the revival of National Carrier is expected to boost travel and tourism industry increasing Uganda Safaris and tours thus enhancing economic growth since the sector is among the leading foreign exchange earners for Uganda.

AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON ; REPTILES OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

Scientifically referred to as Python sebae, The African rock python is one of the popular Uganda Safari reptile species standing as a large non-venomous snake thriving in the south of Sahara on the continent of Africa.

The African Rock Python is among the eleven (11) existing species of the Python Genus and has two subspecies. It is noted to be among the world’s six (6) largest species of snakes including reticulated python, green anaconda, India Python, Burmese Python and amethystine python and its considerable size can be explored while on wildlife safari in Uganda.  The mature python stretches between 3 – 3.53m but on rare occasions can exceed 4.8m. They stretch between 44 to 55kg in weight but exceptions among adults of over 90kgs have been recorded.

The body of the African rock python is notably thick with colored blotches and the body markings can be olive, brown, yellow and chestnut but alter to white on the underside. It has a triangular head with many sharp backward curved teeth.  The African rock python features small and smooth scales with those around the lips possessing heat sensitive pits that are utilised to secure warm blooded prey even in the darkness.  Unlike other advanced snakes that have one lung, the Pythons possess two (2) functioning lungs.

Regarding feeding, the African Rock Python uses constriction to kill its prey. It coils around it and tightens its coils every moment the prey attempts to breathe out and eventually the captive dies of cardiac arrest. Its prey include; monkeys, large rodents, antelopes, warthog, monitor lizards, warthog and fruit bats along with crocodiles in the areas that are forested and poultry, rats, goats and dogs in suburban areas.

The African Rock Python is an oviparous reptile and can lay between 20 – 100 hard shelled long eggs in a cave, termite mound or an old animal burrow. The female coils around them sheltering against the predators until their hatching time which is around Ninety (90) days. The hatchlings stretch from 45 – 60cm in length as often encountered on Uganda Safaris and tours.

The African Rock Python thrives in a range of habitats including; savannah, forest, grassland, rocky and semi-desert areas but it is majorly associated with places with permanent water and as a result, it’s more common in the surroundings of rivers, lakes and swamps.   Most of the Uganda’s National Parks feature such habitats and as a result the African rock python is one of the possible wildlife species that can be viewed while on adventure vacation holiday in Uganda Africa.

Though faced with threat of habitat loss and killings by humans, the African Rock Python is still listed as species of Least Concern on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

ANOTHER BABY RHINO BORN AT ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

The Uganda Safari tour destination of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is celebrating the arrival of a beautiful baby Rhino which has become the fourth of its kind at the sanctuary since this year began.

On Dec 26^th just a day after Christmas, the mother Malaika gave birth to a male Rhino bringing the number of Southern White Rhinos at the sanctuary to Nineteen (19). This affirms the positive trend of the Rhino breeding programme and enhances the vibrancy of the sanctuary amongst travelers on Safaris in Uganda.

The Sanctuary which was formerly stocked with four (4) mature Rhinos that included two (2) males and two (2) females that were brought in from Solio Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya later received a boost of another breeding pair from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and now eleven (11) years down the road, it is very inspiring to hear that the number of these Uganda tour species has increased to Nineteen (19).

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is positioned at 176km to the north of Kampala along the main route to Murchison Falls National Park.  The Sanctuary stands as the only point in Uganda where these species can be encountered in the wilderness. The travelers interested in Big five have to incorporate the visit to this sanctuary while planning safaris to Uganda as it is the only point to spot Rhinos which is a member of the Big five along with Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes and Elephants.

ANOTHER BABY RHINO BORN AT ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

The Uganda Safari tour destination of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is celebrating the arrival of a beautiful baby Rhino which has become the fourth of its kind at the sanctuary since this year began.

On Dec 26^th just a day after Christmas, the mother Malaika gave birth to a male Rhino bringing the number of Southern White Rhinos at the sanctuary to Nineteen (19). This affirms the positive trend of the Rhino breeding programme and enhances the vibrancy of the sanctuary amongst travelers on Safaris in Uganda.

The Sanctuary which was formerly stocked with four (4) mature Rhinos that included two (2) males and two (2) females that were brought in from Solio Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya later received a boost of another breeding pair from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and now eleven (11) years down the road, it is very inspiring to hear that the number of these Uganda tour species has increased to Nineteen (19).

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is positioned at 176km to the north of Kampala along the main route to Murchison Falls National Park.  The Sanctuary stands as the only point in Uganda where these species can be encountered in the wilderness. The travelers interested in Big five have to incorporate the visit to this sanctuary while planning safaris to Uganda as it is the only point to spot Rhinos which is a member of the Big five along with Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes and Elephants.

TANZANIA ANTI POACHING SQUAD SECURES NEW SKILLS – TANZANIA SAFARI NEWS

A hands-on wildlife crime scene investigation (CSI) Course was conducted by the government of United States at the Dar es salaam Police Academy between 5^th and 8^th December 2016 with the aim of providing upgraded skills to disrupt poaching of Tanzania Safari tour wildlife along with its trafficking networks across the country.

The statement issued by the US Embassy based in Dar es Salaam revealed that the training was backed by the US government via its two (2) bodies – the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Office of Law Enforcement and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  The beneficiaries of the training included Tanzania Police Force, Tanzania National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) along with Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The other participants included investigators from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and Wildlife Management division of wildlife responsible for ensuring the survival of wildlife species which form a strong base for East Africa Safaris and tours in Tanzania. The course equipped the participants with knowledge on how to approach the wildlife crime scene, gather evidence and maintain custody chain along with documentation.

In addition to the training, the Government of United States donated ten (10) crime scene evidence collection kits to the agencies that participated in the course with each kit comprising DNA sample collection kits, camera, evidence sealing bags, seizure evidence tags and chain of custody forms according to the Embassy statement.

The similar course is noted to also have been conducted in destination Uganda between 28^th November and 2^nd December to enhance the protection of Uganda Safari wildlife. It was developed following the 2015 wildlife trafficking assessment which was conducted under the US Department of Interior’s International Technical Assistance Programme where the need to institute crime scene management practices in the region of East Africa was realized.

Tanzania is among the African countries that are battling with high levels of poaching which is threatening