A shocking photo / update from LRF grantee Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. In March 2018, we learned that one of the lionesses ‘Naturinda’ got caught in a snare that almost took her life. Doctors saved her just in time, by darting her, removing the snare and treating the wound. Since then, WCS has been monitoring her and the rest of her pride. Unfortunately, she has separated from her pride and has not been seen for two weeks. At the moment, it is not known if she has survived or not and finding her is not easy, because she is not collared. The field team is searching hard for her, and we will give you an update as soon as we hear news.
This incident emphasizes the severity of the threat posed to African wildlife from the bushmeat poaching and snaring scourge. Snares set by poachers do more than eliminate lion prey – they also directly wound or kill lions. Tackling this threat is a key component of the LRF strategy. We remain hopeful that Naturinda is alive and will report back soon. We acknowledge the hard work of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and partners such as WCS to tackle this and other conservation threats.