Able Safaris

10/10/2017

"The Mystical Challenge"

24/10/2016

MORNING UPDATE: 24th October 2016

TWINS BORN IN MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK

This year has so far been full of excitements in mountain gorilla conservation, with Uganda having births of baby mountain gorillas in her Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and now another birth in her sister National Park called Mgahinga.

News has met the AUTO office of another birth of mountain gorillas, and in the communication we are informed that one of the females in Mgahinga's Nyakagezi family brought forth two adorable innocently looking twin gorillas. Yes mountain gorillas do give birth to twins, and this is one other confirmation.

A more detailed account of this birth is still being compiled and more information with more accurate photography will be shared at an appropriate time. This is a plus for conservation, a bonus for mountain gorilla lovers, and great news for tourism in Uganda.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of a larger ecosystem, the Virunga Conservation Area which includes two adjacent parks in Rwanda and Congo. Together with Bwindi, Mgahinga makes Uganda the prime destination for gorilla tracking safaris; giving Uganda a count of over half of the world's remaining population of mountain gorillas. Just another factor to confirm the name Pearl of Africa.

Book your gorilla safari to Uganda with one of our members and perhaps you could get an opportunity to see these newly born twins. See our members list here auto.or.ug/members

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AUTO (Association of Uganda Tour Operators)
Tel: +256 414 542 599 | +256 702 542 599
Email: [email protected]
Twitter:
Instagram: auto_ug
Skype: AUTO (Association of Uganda Tour Operators)

17/10/2016

We might not be as friendly to expat families as we’d think. In a ranking of 67 countries around the world for ‘Ease of settling in’, the UK ranked 42nd for Friendliness, and 43rd for ‘Finding Friends’. This is according to the Expat Insider 2016 index by InterNations, which surveyed more than 14,00...

21/01/2015

Thailand Tourism Festival 2015 attracted over 600,000 visitors:

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) new “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign’s grand opening celebrations recently coincided with the 35th Thailand Tourism Festival were held with great fanfare and were attended by thousands of locals and tourists. The TAT’s Thainess parades brought crowds onto the streets while the five-day tourism fair attracted over 600,000 Thai and foreign visitors and generated some 230 million Baht in revenue. http://ow.ly/HG1bK

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) new “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign’s grand opening celebrations recently coincided with the 35th ...

23/10/2014

Poachers in Zimbabwe poison 87 elephants for ivory, official says

Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- More than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe have been poisoned with cyanide -- the latest victims of poachers keen to feed soaring global demand for illegally trafficked ivory.

Since May, the carcasses of 87 elephants have been discovered in Hwange National Park, said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, public relations manager for Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The poachers poisoned natural salt licks to bring down the mighty beasts, she said Wednesday.

The parks authority has so far recovered 51 tusks, she said -- leaving 123 in the hands of the poachers. http://ow.ly/D96uu

12/10/2014

Nile: a river of mysteries

They say all great mysteries begin at the end and end at the very beginning; River Nile is a perfect picture to accompany that phrase.
We all know where it ends, pouring northward through the sudans, where it meets its biggest tributary, the Blue Nile before heading to Egypt and finally into the Mediterranean Sea. But locating, let alone, agreeing on the origins of this magnificent river, has befuddled the world since time immemorial. The Bible and the Quran both hint on this mystery and both ancient and present day voyagers have waded in with their own suggestions. http://ow.ly/CBPZj

07/09/2014

Revamped Martyrs shrine to spur Uganda’s faith-based tourism;

Every June 3, thousands of pilgrims from Uganda and beyond throng the Uganda Martyrs Shrine at Namugongo, Wakiso District to honour St Charles Lwanga and his 21 companions who were killed for refusing to denounce Christianity between 1885 and 1887.
While the most well-known of the Namugongo Martyrs are the 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican faithful who were killed on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga, 76 Muslims were also killed alongside them.
The Catholic Martyrs were on June 6, 1920, beatified by Pope Benedict XV, and canonised on October 18, 1964, in the presence of bishops from all over the world who had gathered in Rome for the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI.
June 3 has become central to the Uganda Christian calendar and is usually marked with prayers and thanksgiving. Last year, the Catholic Church unveiled plans to extend the significance of the Martyrs Day to more than the June 3 and its traditional values to a land mark tourism site.

15/06/2014

Africa surpasses Asia in ivory seizures: CITES:

GENEVA - Several African countries have made great strides in clamping down on ivory smuggling, with large seizures for the first time exceeding those made in prime destination Asia, UN wildlife regulator CITES said Friday.

Until recently, seizures of half a tonne or more of ivory were rarely if ever made before the illegal, precious material left Africa. That changed just over a year ago, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Two thirds of the 76 such seizures made since 2009 have been in Asia, where demand for tusks for decorative purposes and use in traditional medicines, has fuelled a multi-billion-dollar illicit trade.

But since March, 2013, for the first time, "more large-scale seizures were made in Africa than in Asia," CITES said in a report on elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade. http://ow.ly/y3xTw

12/06/2014

Tangi one the three Rothschild’s giraffes brought to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in 2009 for conservation education purposes and breeding has died.

By the time she died, she was responding to her name and would turn round when summoned by animal keepers to be fed.

“She was the most bold and reliable for the new feeding program at UWEC. She will be dearly missed by the entire UWEC family and visitors,” said UWEC spokesperson Belinda Atim in a somber tone.

According to Atim, “Tangi was the first giraffe to respond favorably to training for the newly introduced ‘giraffe feeding program’ and was the most popular. She was fed by the World Tourism Organisation president, minister of tourism Maria Mutagamba and several prominent people during their visits here.”

On June 8, Tangi was found lying lifeless in her exhibit by her care-givers. It was earlier observed that not to be passing stool and showed signs stomach ache. There was a rapid response by the UWEC veterinary team and she was not considered to be in mortal danger. Following some recovery Tangi’s improved feeding habits was evidence of health improvement and increased energy level.

“Finding her dead is perplexing,” wondered Atim.

The findings of a post-mortem have it that the carcass was in normal state except for an abnormal mass found in the wall of the small intestine, which oozed out pus upon incision. Except the lining of the small intestine which an abnormal large amount of blood and had wounds.

Consequently, the large intestine was bloated with gas, heavily distended and torn. There was evident disturbance of intestinal contents to the point of obstruction.

The mass growth led to gradual intestinal obstruction, sudden a high level of bacterial growth due to retention of excreta that led to sudden death. Biological samples have been collected and submitted to the Central Diagnostic Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University to ascertain the origin of the...

10/06/2014

Oil activities threaten lion population

Kampala- Uganda’s lion population is under threat due to human activities such as oil exploration, infrastructure developments, swamp reclamation, cattle grazing and tree cutting.
According to the National State of the Environment Report 2012.

Uganda’s tourism is likely to be affected if exploration activities in areas where oil has been discovered are not sustainably managed. The total lion population has reduced up from 600 between 1999 and 2003, to 416 in the period between 2007 and 2010.

However, the Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Mr Jossy Muhangi, said the cause of decline in the numbers of the wildlife species like lions has not been due to the activities of oil exploration.

“We jointly monitor the activities of the oil and gas sector with the Water ministry and Nema to mitigate the risks of environmental degradation, water and air pollution and devastating effects on wildlife species,” Mr Muhangi added.

Poisoned
He also noted that some part of the Ugandan population poison the lions, like the Basogola tribe in western Uganda did in Queen Elizabeth National Park after the lions were a threat to their cattle. The report also cites rapid population growth as a major threat to the environment if not controlled.

The international community today marks the World Environment Day, an annual event aimed at drawing the biggest attention to mother earth. During the World Environment Day – a day commemorated since 1972 – the United Nations Environment Programme is able to personalise environmental issues to realise not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents of change in support of sustainable equitable development.

Postponed
According to Nema, this year’s national celebrations, that will take place in Kaliro District, have been postponed to Friday, June 6, following the date coinciding with the State-of-the-Nation-Address. This year’s national theme is “Raise Your Voice, Save Uganda’s...