With the purpose of diversifying wildlife species in kidepo valley national park, Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) has embarked on relocating approximately 150 Uganda kobs from Murchison falls national park. Of all the national parks in Uganda, Kidepo valley national park hosts the smallest population of wildlife on its total land area of 1,442 square kilometers in northeastern Uganda.

Only 4 Uganda kobs have been residing in the Boma area of kidepo valley national park hence a need to increase on the population. The limited number of wildlife in kidepo valley has limited the number of tourist arrivals to the park compared to other national parks in Uganda.

On the other hand, Murchison falls national park is a home to the highest population of wildlife in Uganda. There are over 50,000 Uganda kobs in the park exceeding the carrying capacity of Murchison falls national park. This means that the relocation of Uganda kobs also aims at reducing the population of wildlife in Murchison falls national park balancing wildlife with the carrying limit of the national park. More still, establishing a new population in kidepo valley national park as well as populating other areas in Kidepo region is another reason for the relocation.

To ease the catching of these kobs, a team from the Uganda wildlife authority has set a tented triangle with versatile tarpaulin container and 6 trucks to transfer kobs towards a set of enclosure. This has helped to trap the kobs without injuries and relocate them safely to kidepo valley national park. The whole process of relocation will cost 200 million Uganda shillings supported by Uganda wildlife authority in conjunction with the staff from other conservation areas.

Regarding vegetation cover in kidepo valley, savannah woodlands, grey haired acacia, bush lands, borassus palms, and fire climax grassland, shrubs and tree species cover the park. The diversity in vegetation has favored the dwelling of various animals such as lions, cheetah, hyenas, aardwolf, elephants, bushings, warthogs, bushbucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribis, Burchell’s zebra, Rothschids’s giraffe, side-striped jackals, and Defassa waterbuck along with various bird species including pygmy falcon, Egyptian vulture and verreaux’s eagle.

Conclusively therefore, kidepo valley national park is a unique tourism destination in Uganda. The introduction of Uganda kob makes a safari to the park surely awesome.