Location

Queen Elizabeth National Park covers the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. To the east, it is next to Kyambura Game Reserve, which is also next to Kigezi Game Reserve. Kigezi Game Reserve includes the Maramagambo Forest and connects to Kibale National Park to the northeast. Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is located across the border to the west. Together, these protected places form a circle around Lake Edward. Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda is located not far to the northwest. In the 1970s and 1980s, Western conservationists often called the park Rwenzori National Park.

History

In 1921, a disease called rinderpest and another illness called sleeping sickness spread among the indigenous people of the area, the Songora pastoralists. These illnesses caused many deaths and forced people to leave the region. It was believed that the colonial government caused the disease by pretending to vaccinate livestock. After the illness, the number of wild animals increased, and the British colonial government decided to remove most of the remaining people from about 90% of their land to create game reserves. Their homes were burned, and their animals were killed, leading them to flee across the border and seek safety in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The park was established in 1952 as Kazinga National Park by combining the Lake George and Lake Edward Game Reserves. Two years later, it was renamed to honor a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. At this time, the last shared grazing rights of the Songora herders were taken away, causing thousands more to move across the border with their herds into Virunga National Park. Most of them did not return until after 1964 because of conflicts caused by the Mulele rebellion in that area.

In 2006, the Basongora people were forced to leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo and settled in the area north of Lake Edward with their livestock. Problems with wild animals attacking their property and not receiving compensation for lost animals led them to leave poisoned food for predators, which killed 11 lions in 2018. This situation was called a "national disaster" by people in the international tourism and conservation fields. Earlier, in 2015, poachers killed six elephants in the park, which angered and frustrated members of the Ugandan conservation community.

Overview

Queen Elizabeth National Park covers an area of about 1,978 km² (764 square miles). The park is famous for its many types of animals, including African elephants, African buffalo, Ugandan kob, hippos, topi, waterbuck, warthogs, giant forest hogs, Nile crocodiles, leopards, spotted hyenas, chimpanzees, and lions. In total, the park is home to 95 species of mammals and more than 600 species of birds. The area near Ishasha in Rukungiri District is well-known for lions that climb trees, with male lions often having black manes. In 2020, Samuel John Mwandha, the director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, said that the number of animals in the park has been increasing over the past five years.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, along with nearby Virunga National Park, was named a "lion conservation unit" by the IUCN in 2006. This area could become an important place for lion populations in Central Africa if poaching stops and prey animals can grow in numbers. The lions, hyenas, and leopards living there are closely watched by the Uganda Carnivore Program and the Uganda Wildlife Authority using radio collars and other conservation methods.

The park is also known for its volcanic landforms, such as volcanic hills and deep craters, some of which have lakes inside. For example, the Katwe craters are a source of salt. Services in the park include a telecenter managed by Conservation Through Public Health.

Twinning

QENP and the Queen Elizabeth Country Park in England are partnered in a project that focuses on cultural exchange, mutual support, and protecting nature by working closely with and giving power to local communities.