We may send animals back to the wild - UWEC
A female Bengal tiger feeds at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre on February 8, 2023. PHOTO/PAUL ADUDE
What you need to know:
- In an interview with the Monitor yesterday, the UWEC executive director, Mr James Musinguzi, said the centre has 63 animal species and 500 individual animals but with the budget cuts, they may not be able to take care of them.
The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) has raised concern over the budget cuts by the Ministry of Finance and warned that they may be forced to return the animals in their care back into the wild.
In an interview with the Monitor yesterday, the UWEC executive director, Mr James Musinguzi, said the centre has 63 animal species and 500 individual animals but with the budget cuts, they may not be able to take care of them.
“That would not be the best option because they can’t fend for themselves in the wild. Remember, they are injured, they are supposed to be looked after. We would take that decision [if there is no option left] because you’re actually sending them to die. You would want them to stay here for care but they can only stay here when you have an adequate budget,” he said.
He added that most of the animals at the centre were rescued from illegal wildlife traders, human-wildlife conflicts, and poaching, among others, and returning them to the wild would mean death for them.
“We must ensure the welfare of the animals in our care is not compromised at all. Every animal has a diet. If you compromise the food that that animal feeds on and timing then you have a problem with the animals, their safety. When an animal is hungry, it can easily break out. So, this has far-reaching consequences,” Mr Musinguzi said.
He revealed that the 2023/2024 budget has been cut by 80 percent.
“The current budget that we are running of 2022/2023 is Shs9.5 billion meaning that it has been cut by 80 percent to the new proposal of Shs1.9 billion for the new financial year 2023/2024. It’s a significant cut which can’t make the centre run if it is implemented,” he said.
He added: “There must be drastic interventions made to ensure that something is done. Out of the Shs9.5b that we are currently running, salaries alone take Shs3.7b, animal food takes Shs2.5b, which is about Shs200 million per month, implying that if the proposed Shs 1.9 billion is taken on as the budget for the coming financial year, the centre cannot operate.”
When contacted, Ministry of Finance spokesperson Jim Mugunga said they don’t make budgets cuts.
“Our work is to ensure compliance with the budget process and decisions reached following appropriation by Parliament. My advice is for UWEC is to use the ongoing budget consultative process through their relevant sector to present their case…,” he said.
He added: “They know we attach importance to their work and have supported them with resources. No amount of threats generate revenue but productivity does. Broadly we can only cut our coat in accordance to the cloth we have…”
