Suspected chimpanzee poacher arrested in Kakumiro

Yafesi Baguma, a suspected notorious chimpanzee poacher, has been arrested while on the run, in what the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has described as a "breakthrough".

UWA said they intercepted the 36-year-old in Kakindo village in Kakumiro district on Monday (January 10).

Labelled as the "ringleader", Baguma is one of five suspects believed to have killed two chimpanzees in Bugoma Forest and Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve in September last year.

He was arrested following an "intelligence tip-off" and then a "combined operation by UWA rangers and Uganda Police".

Kakindo village, where Baguma was found, is 104 kilometres from Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve.

“Baguma had abandoned his home in Nyaigugu village in Kikuube district. This was after he and other suspects killed two chimpanzees," said UWA spokesperson Simplicious Gessa.

Following his arrest, Baguma was to be moved to Kampala, from where he would be arraigned before the Utilities, Standards and Wildlife Court and charged with illegal killing of protected species.

The three other suspects are Isaiah Nabasa (27), John Tumuhairwa (22) and Eric Baseka (25). It is understood they are on remand in connection with the same case as Baguma's.

UWA said they are on the hunt for the fifth suspect.

The population of about 500 chimpanzees in Bugoma are threatened by unending human-wildlife conflict.

At the end of last year (2021), UWA executive director Sam Mwandha assured the public that they are improving chimpanzee movement throughout the 2,710 hectares of forest corridor.

“This is being done with our partners by implementing the community-based restoration of ecological corridors in critical riverine forest and chimpanzee habitat in the Budongo-Bugoma landscape of the Albertine Rift,” he said.

“At the same time, we intend to ensure that local communities benefit from diversified incomes and reduced human-wildlife conflict by applying human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies and developing sustainable agroforestry and enterprise initiatives.”