Entebbe Zoo

Uganda Wildlife Education Center famously known as the Entebbe Zoo, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) attracts a variety of tourists owing to its astonishing range of wildlife. Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, a state-owned attraction, is conveniently located at a distance of 35 kilometres from Uganda’s capital of Kampala in Entebbe region. As a successor to the Uganda Game and Demonstration Farm, close to the international airport, UWEC appears to be ideal for those travellers who are willing to catch the glimpses of Uganda’s array of wildlife onto their exciting Uganda safari.

The centre is loved for holding a close reservoir of different wild animals that are indigenous to Uganda including the big five mammals. The place is a perfect stopover for those travellers on their way to exciting forest safaris in Uganda’s national parks and reserves. The zoo merges Uganda’s wildlife display through wildlife ecology while managing to cater to a valuable role of saving and conserving Uganda’s wildlife’s prodigious diversity. In 1994, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre initiated the Cheetah Preservation Foundation, with the initial purpose to focus on legalities for Uganda’s cheetah’s populace; however, at a large scale, it is also established to train other departments to follow the set model of maintaining the wildlife in Uganda.

The zoo is located in Entebbe, approximately 3 kilometres from Entebbe International Airport. The zoo was established in 1952 and houses an extensive variety of indigenous animals and representative species from five continents. The animal species that have multiplied over the years and are often presented to the public include monkeys, chimpanzees, birds, reptiles, fish, lions, leopards, and antelopes as well as some baby gorillas that were brought into the zoo in recent years to be raised and introduced into the wild. The zoo has signed agreements with international organizations with whom it actively collaborates on various international programs. It is strictly a display facility. No commercial breeding of any sort takes place here. Animal species are brought to the Entebbe Zoo from different sources. The zoo focuses on providing a comfortable atmosphere for the visitors as well as on keeping the animals in optimum conditions.

The zoo has played a unique role in supporting the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). Several tours come into the country of which some tou=-ppgists, particularly foreigners, are interested to come to the zoo and have a look at the animals. It is through such tours that the zoo earns revenue. Revenue generated contributes between 80-85% to UWEC survival, of which the other percentage is provided for by the government of Uganda. As a result, recombinant wildlife species and other rescue wild animals have found sanctuary at the zoo as many visitors (not only tourists but even the Ugandans) visit the zoo daily.

UWEC’s mission is “to educate people about the importance of conservation and to bring people close to the animals.” The zoo symbolizes and provides an opportunity for interaction or familiarity between the public and the natural wildlife, which is a great idea. The zoo provides an educational and historical interpretation program about the wildlife. It also serves as a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre. Here we took some good time walking around the zoo houses where the viewing of the different adventures in the Lake Victoria area was splendid.

The zoo also does its level best in research and providing information about our local wildlife. They also offer guidelines and assistance to start up a similar zoo in your area, with guidelines on where to get animal ranges to start with, which is a commendable job. As I write up my journal, I remember some of the visitors who had cameras with them and continuously kept taking snaps of each and every kind of animal which was on site. Others went ahead to keep taking the location of the animals but could not wait until the time they see their photographs