Three of the
rescued shoebills at UWEC in Entebbe.
Entebbe Wild life authorities in Entebbe have rescued four
shoebill storks from various places and taken them to the Uganda WildlifeEducation Centre (UWEC), formerly Entebbe Zoo.
One of the birds was picked from near Mabamba wetland in Wakiso
while the three were rescued from Kyere and Kapir village in Mbale from people
who officials say intended to sell them off. The suspected smugglers, however,
escaped arrest.
“We acted on a tip-off after the suspects attempted to sell off
the birds to a white man who alerted UWA. They were, however, looking very
weak,” Dr Abdulhameed Kateregga, the centre veterinary doctor told the Daily
Monitor yesterday.
“The birds were highly habituated because they didn’t fear
people meaning they had been confined in people’s homes for some time and were
not fed well but we are going to start by putting them in quarantine,” he
explained.
According to Dr Kateregga, the birds weigh between 4 and 7
kilograms and would be kept for conservation education and future shoebillbreeding. Mr James Musinguzi, the centre Executive Director said that the
shoebills are hunted by fishermen because they compete with them for fish and are
good pets.
By Bruce Amp
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