Queen Elizabeth's Lions By Dr Alexander Braczkowski

Volcanoes Safaris is pleased to share a guest blog written by Dr Alexander Braczkowski, the Scientific Lead for the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project.   A Conversation with Dr Alexander Braczkowski The rolling savannah of Queen Elizabeth National Park in west Uganda is home to a diverse range of species, including the African lion, Ugandan kob and African elephants, however it is facing challenges reflected elsewhere in the world. Volcanoes had the opportunity to talk with Dr Alexander Braczkowski about his insight into the park, its biodiversity, and its future.   What are the main challenges faced by Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA)? "Snaring is arguably the leading driver of the African lion and other wildlife decline inside the QECA, an indiscriminate form of both subsistence and commercial poaching for people living inside and on the edge of the national park" commented Alex.   How does the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Team support the Uganda Wildlife Authority to conserve Queen Elizabeth's biodiversity and reduce snaring incidences? Alex continued "The Kyambura Lion Monitoring Team, launched by myself and Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, has been active in the Kyambura, Kasenyi, Mweya and northern regions of the park on a daily basis since August 2023. During the monitoring of lions, the team is also looking for other animals caught in snares, or they are available to help the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Uganda Carnivore Program with vehicles, manpower, transport, and field logistics in the park. For this reason, the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Team has been involved in at least 30 rescues and snare removal operations across the park. The most common species to be regularly sighted in need of medical assistance are elephants and lions as they repeatedly use paths to access food and water that are used by common game prey. Two notable rescue events recently involved desnaring a large bull elephant in Kasenyi, the snare event was so bad that the wire had reached the deep reaches of the animals fibula." "Last month the team worked with Uganda Wildlife Authority and Uganda Carnivore Program to treat a young African lion that was wounded by a buffalo. Normally such interventions would not be called for but because lion densities are so low in the park any rescue is critical to the survival of the remaining members. The fieldwork of these rescues has been led by Bosco Atukwatse, Orin Cornille, and assistance has mainly come from Johnson Muhereza and Immaculate Nabasa. With these kinds of rescues, it is often about being in the right place at the right time to get critical information for UWA and support them in whatever way the team can." The Background Since 2022, Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) has been working with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Uganda Carnivore Program to conduct robust scientific monitoring of African lions and other predators inside the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area. In August 2023, the Kymabura Lion Monitoring Project was launched to collect data for large carnivores using a network of vehicles, and remote camera traps. This project aims to establish a science-based conservation program that supports the protection of Uganda’s carnivore populations and improves the livelihoods of local people living in and around the wildlife parks. Learn more about the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project here.