Conservationists across the country have been urged to intensify awareness campaigns in regard to wildlife rights.
Speaking ahead of the world Lion Day slated for August 10, Edith Kabesiime the Wildlife Campaign Manager at World Animal Protection said wild animals are also entitled to treatment with dignity and respect thus a call for effective wild animal rights considerations.
Every year, the world comes together to commemorate World Lion Day to raise awareness about the plight faced by lions which have led to a great decline in their numbers worldwide.
Lions existed in large numbers a century ago but their estimated number currently is below 50,000 worldwide due to continued poaching and hunting of this endangered species that attract tourists from all over.
Giving remarks at the World Animal Protection training at Hotel Africana on Tuesday, Kabesiime urged the media mainly electronic and poets to intensify the spread of the conservational gospel of domestic and wildlife.
According to Kabesiime, the range and number of lions have continued to dwindle across the world and in Africa due to separatists mentioning poachers and people of Chinese Origin who continue to use the animal parts in their herbal medicines.
“While the Uganda Wildlife Authority is proud of the increased numbers of wild animals in their protected areas, Uganda still has less than 400 lions left in the wild and this is really concerning” She highlighted.
She further advised that it is high time the continent embarks on conservation, welfare, and exploitative ways to impact this species also known as the King of the Jungle.
Over time Lions have been hunted both legally and illegally till the numbers went down, according to the World Animal Protection this link has remained till recent due to the legal captive breeding industry like that found in South Africa.
In this regard, The Uganda Wildlife Authority has been urged to further gear up lions protection strategies as well as apprehend those caught poaching in protected areas.
Lions like many wild animals are entitled to the five aspects of freedom which include freedom from fear and distress, freedom to express normal behavior, freedom from hunger, freedom from discomfort and pain, injury, and disease.
This informs World Animal Protection’s initiative to advocate for wild conservation through various campaigns to cancel captivity, kill off trophy hunting, and also a united force of wildlife protection.
