Uganda

Our planet is awe-inspiring, giving life to lakes, rivers, forests, mountains, and oceans teeming with diverse wildlife species, but it unceasingly needs our support to thrive. On April 22, 2023, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) joined over a billion people to celebrate Earth Day under the theme ‘Invest in Our Planet.’ AWF works with local authorities and agencies to support protected area management and with communities to foster sustainable and conservation-friendly utilization of natural resources to make the world a better and healthier place to live.

Education has been described as the “great equalizer.” This can only be true if students have access to good schools with well-trained teachers. In Uganda’s Kidepo Valley landscape, African Wildlife Foundation’s Classroom Africa program built Kidepo Primary School and Sarachom Primary School to ensure children in this rural area receive the education they deserve. Students will not just learn about their rich natural heritage — they will see conservation in action.

As the world grapples with diminishing biodiversity and the devastating effects of our unhealthy planet, science is slowly beginning to recognize and acknowledge the role of indigenous people in maintaining essential ecosystems. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in 2019 found that over one million species of animals and plants are in danger of extinction over the next few decades.

In the wake of the shocking death of Rafiki, one of Uganda's best-known and most-loved gorillas, conservationists are closely watching the Nkuringo gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

In June, Rafiki was speared by a poacher who later admitted to hunting pig and antelope in the park. He said he killed the gorilla in self-defense when the silverback charged. The Ugandan man has since been sentenced to 11 years in prison, while three men who entered the park with him are awaiting trial.

African Wildlife Foundation conserves elephant and rhino populations by supporting the work of rangers and community wildlife scouts — the “boots on the ground” who shield highly endangered animals from poachers’ guns.

As the leader of the Nkuringo mountain gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Rafiki was the gentle giant who protected his family of 17. He was speared and killed in an act of self-defense after accosting four poachers. They were in the park illegally to hunt bush pig, according to the official statement released on June 12, 2020 by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The illegal trafficking of protected African wildlife species can take various gory forms across the continent. Wildlife management authorities and investigators often discover concealed elephant tusks still dripping with blood or even pieces of flesh and hides, but they are also likely to find crocodile eggs or pangolin scales. The contraband counts as evidence, as do the tools and weapons found at the crime scene, which can range from handmade bows and arrows to AK47s.