The Monitor (Kampala) - The Commissioner for Wildlife Conservation in the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry Mr Justus Tindigarukayo Kashagire has made a major pronouncement. The twenty-eight year ban on hunting of leopards has been lifted.

Coming at a time when Uganda's tourism sector is beginning to wake up from decades of neglect, the lifting of the ban must have been an outcome of very careful considerations. For now more and more people would like to visit Uganda following the return to normalcy of the country's political and security situation. The infrastructure has received substantial boost over the past decade with more roads being repaired and decent tourist lodges being built in the proximity of the game parks.

With such a background, the public is bound to raise eyebrows at the lifting of the ban. Authorities have said that hunting by tourists will target old leopards that are no longer active in reproduction and are therefore not contributing to the population growth of the species.

They have also said that some of these leopards are being killed anyway by villagers who see them as a menace to livestock. What needs to be emphasised is that the animals to be hunted must be thoroughly screened, vetted before they are condemned to sport hunting. It must be such a tight process that it would not be abused by profiteers conniving with wrong elements in the wildlife authority to condemn healthy, useful animals.
 
In any case, if in this twenty first century we are going to resume hunting rare species, we may as well be scientific about it and shoot them with tranquilizers rather than lethal bullets. The sporting tourist would be satisfied felling a whole African leopard and taking pictures as he steps on his dazed quarry. At the same time, the animal would be kept alive and transferred to designated wildlife educational centres and specialised protected colonies for townspeople to watch.

Certainly there is now a sufficient number of well off Ugandans who can adopt these animals and pay for their upkeep as they live out their last days. Even part of the money paid for the hunting permits can be spent towards this goal.

After all, it will not be small money. You do not allow someone to come and shoot a leopard in your national park for a few thousand dollars. The hunters should pay a stiff price. And by the way, many of them will miss the targets but still leave the money behind.

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