It was recently announced that Lake Mburo National Park is to receive giraffes from Murchison Falls National Park in a bid to boost tourism in the park.

This was confirmed by Uganda Wildlife Authority’s (UWA), UWA’s spokesperson Jossy Muhanji who said this would increase the attractiveness of tourism in the park since there are no giraffes in the national parks of western Uganda where Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori Mountains Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park are located.

UWA’s conservation expert, Patrick Atimedi, who is in charge of the exercise, stated that four females and four males are to be trans-located from Murchison Falls in an exercise that will take up to three weeks. It shall involve securing the newcomers in a boma (a secure area) within the park in order to acclimatize them to their new environment. He added that the park had been found as a suitable habitat for giraffes, because it was abundant in the acacia woodland species that the giraffes feed on.

Lake Mburo National Park is the closest savannah reserve reachable within three-and-a-half to four hours by road from the capital, Kampala. It is centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes known for their rich birdlife, notably the secretive African finfoot. The green acacia woodland surrounding the lake also harbors dense populations of zebra, warthog, buffalo, impala, and various other grazers, including the last surviving Ugandan population of eland. The giraffes should be a welcomed addition to the park.