Lwengo District leaders and activists are worried about the increased killing of crested cranes in the district.
A survey done by civil society organizations in Lwengo and the district leaders showed that between January and October this year, at least 108 created cranes had been killed by people especially those that cultivate in wetlands.
According to Mr Gilbert Tayebwa, the coordinator of the International Cranes Foundation in the greater Masaka sub-region, there is an urgent need to protect the crested crane or risk facing their extinction.
“We are worried that the cranes are being killed at this rate and the situation is always worse during planting seasons when farmers poison the cranes claiming that they destroy their crops, but we are going to embark on sensitizing locals to stop killing these precious birds,” he said.
Mr. Tayebwa said they are going to count all crested cranes in the district as a way of promoting their safety, as well as sensitizing locals on how they can co-exist with the birds, noting that they could be used as a tool to boost tourism in the district, if preserved well.
District authorities said they are working with other stakeholders to develop tourism as their alternative source of revenue.
“The district is working with several players to protect crested cranes in the district and wetlands since if these places are protected, they can get us extra money when people visit Lwengo to watch them,” said Mr. Ibrahim Kitata, the Lwengo district chairperson.
A crested crane is a bird of national significance to Uganda, occupying a prime position on the country’s national flag and coat of arms.
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