Number of rhinos and elephants in Uganda on the rise after years of poaching

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The number of elephants, rhinoceroses and other endangered animals in Uganda's game reserves has been steadily increasing, reversing years of decline driven by poachers, smugglers and conflict, the state agency for Wildlife Conservation.

The population of northern white and eastern black rhinos, which were nearly wiped out in the early 1980s by humans hunting for their horns, has risen again to 32, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The authorities added that thanks to increased conservation efforts, the number of buffalo increased by 77% to 44,163 between 1983 and 2021, while the number of elephants increased by nearly 300% to 7,975 during the same period.

Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the East African nation experienced massive declines in some species as political conflict and lawlessness allowed poaching and wildlife abuse to flourish.

Since then, the government has introduced a number of conservation measures, including lengthy prison sentences for environmental crimes and poaching.

There has also been an increase in the number of mountain gorillas in the dense forests of the southwest, boosting the tourism industry.

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