Uganda: Lion population shrinks dramatically

Retaliatory killings as the main cause

The number of lions has fallen from 493 to 275, due primarily to increasing conflicts between humans and wildlife, the Ministry stated.

«The number of lions has declined sharply due to retaliatory killings resulting from human-wildlife conflict,» said Minister Tom Butime at the release of a national tourism report.

«The number of lions has dropped from a peak of 493 in 2014 to 275 lions in 2023.»

Butime expressed satisfaction, however, that the numbers of some other species have increased, including gorillas, from 302 in the early 2000s to 459 in 2022.

Poisonings and poaching

The East African country Uganda is known for having one of the greatest biodiversity in the world.

The majority of lions (224) live in Murchison Falls National Park, while the number in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where lions are known for their ability to climb trees, has dropped to 39.

This decline follows several apparent poisoning incidents: nine in 2022, six in 2021, and eleven in 2018.

However, investigations into who is responsible — with suspicion falling on both livestock farmers seeking to curb attacks on their animals and poachers — have come to nothing.

In 2021, four poachers were arrested when four lion heads and body parts were discovered together with bottles of toxic substances, spears, a machete, and a hunting net.

Elephant population quadrupled

In a report from last year, the government warned of the threat to lions and chimpanzees. In contrast, Uganda's elephant population has nearly quadrupled over the past four decades to 7’975 animals.

During this period, the number of giraffes has increased sixfold to 2’072 and the number of buffaloes has nearly doubled to over 44’000.

The national parks are an important driver of tourism in Uganda, which accounts for 7.6 percent of GDP according to the Ministry of Finance.