Buffaloes torment Masindi residents
Mr Yosoni Karubanga with the dead buffalo. Photo by George Muzoora
What you need to know:
The wild animals are said to have escaped from Murchison Falls National Park following the tormenting drought.
Masindi
A herd of buffaloes has invaded Kimengo Sub-county in Masindi District and stricking fear among the residents.
The wild animals are suspected to have strayed from Murchison Falls National Park in search of pasture and water due to the raging drought.
On Wednesday morning, a buffalo scared residents of Nyinezaramugongo village, Kijunjubwa Parish in Kimengo Sub-county, when it invaded a kraal belonging to a local farmer, Mr Charles Mugyemano.
Mr Mugyemano saw the buffalo at dawn when he rose to milk his cows. “When I saw the buffalo, it charged at me. This prompted me to run back to my house and pick a gun,” Mr Mugyemano said. He fired in air to scare the buffalo away but it charged forward. He shot and killed it instantly. “I killed it to secure my workers in the farm and the surrounding community,” Mr Mugyemano said.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officer in charge of Masindi sector, Mr Juma Muhammed, said it is allowed to kill wild animals in self-defence. He, however, warned the community against killing wild animals to eat them.
“It is not recommended to eat wild meat because they are not examined by veterinary doctors,” he warned. He said since Kimengo is within the cattle corridor, there is a possibility of having many buffalos in the area because they belong to the same animal family like cows.
Nyinezaramugongo LCI chairperson Yosoni Karubanga asked government to provide the community with a gun to kill wild animals in case they attack people. “Many residents have been killed by crocodiles and hippos without any help,” he said.
