Introduction
Uganda is home to some of the most wondrous wildlife on the planet. Giraffes, elephants and zebras roam the iconic savannah, being careful to evade the claws of lions, leopards and cheetahs. Magnificent mountain gorillas have found refuge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and hippos bathe in the rivers of Queen Elizabeth National Park. But as a result of Uganda’s population growth and the intensification of farming animals, the wildlife of the country now finds itself under the threat of extinction.
-
Baboon (olive)
There are five species of baboons and they all live in Africa – olive, yellow, chacma, Guinea and sacred.
-
Hippopotamus
There are 115,000-130,000 hippos left in Africa but their numbers are decreasing at a horrifying rate.
-
Rhinoceros (southern white)
In 2005, efforts were made to introduce the southern white rhino to Uganda in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
-
-
Pangolin (giant)
Pangolins are truly unique animals, and rank among the likes of the duck-billed platypus for their peculiar appearance.
-
Warthog
Warthogs get their name from three wart-like bumps on their head which are actually fatty lumps that protect them during fights.
-
Bushbaby
Bushbabies – also known as galagos – are small saucer-eyed nocturnal primates that spend most of their time in the trees of forests.
-
Buffalo (African)
There are only about 400,000 African buffaloes in the whole of Africa, plummeting from 900,000 in 1999.
-
Giraffe
Uganda is home to over half of Africa’s Nubian (formerly Rothschild’s) giraffes (G. c. camelopardalis), a subspecies of the Northern giraffe.
