This page curates links to articles and reporting from external sources about wildlife conservation in Uganda. None of this content is my own — all credit belongs to the original authors and publications. I share these links to help raise awareness of the remarkable conservation work happening across Uganda’s protected areas and beyond.

Last updated: May 22, 2026

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May 2026

UWA Recruits Over 1,000 Rangers
Uganda Wildlife Authority — May 5, 2026
UWA concludes its 2026 ranger recruitment exercise, selecting 1,312 recruits who will join the authority’s frontline conservation force. The new rangers will begin training in Masindi District, significantly strengthening UWA’s capacity to protect Uganda’s national parks and wildlife reserves from poaching and encroachment.

Forensics Lab Joins Fight Against Illegal Wildlife and Timber Trade in Uganda
The Independent (Uganda) — May 4, 2026
An in-depth account of the inauguration of the Wildlife and Timber Forensics Laboratory at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe — a joint initiative of UWA, the EU, UNODC, and Denmark — examining what the facility means for Uganda’s Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court, which now has access to DNA and forensic evidence to prosecute wildlife trafficking cases more effectively.

Uganda’s Wildlife Sector Shows Recovery Amid New Challenges
NTV Uganda — May 2026
Coverage of UWA’s State of Wildlife Resources Report 2026, documenting gains in mountain gorillas, rhinos, giraffes, and hippos alongside concerning declines in lion and elephant populations. The report highlights invasive plant species as a growing monitoring challenge, records over 6,100 human-wildlife conflict incidents between 2020–2025, and notes that cross-border animal movement complicates population counts.

African Elephant Genomes Reveal Ancient Mixing — and Modern Pressures
Mongabay — May 8, 2026
A large-scale genomic study finds evidence of recent forest-savanna elephant hybridisation in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, alongside tracking data showing elephants in Mount Elgon have returned and settled since November — a positive sign for a population conservationists have been watching closely. The research also underscores that human land use is now the dominant force shaping elephant distribution across the continent.

Connected Conservation Is Helping Uganda Fight Wildlife Trafficking
IFAW — May 2026
Through the CARE Project and the Room to Roam initiative, IFAW and the Uganda Wildlife Crime Unit have strengthened cross-border enforcement and inter-agency coordination against wildlife trafficking networks — with measurable results: pangolin trafficking cases dropped 50% from 14 to 7 between 2024 and 2025, and interceptions of grey crowned cranes fell from 12 to just one over the same period. The report highlights Uganda as an emerging model for connected, community-centred anti-trafficking conservation across East and Central Africa.

UWA Inaugurates 44 Honorary Wildlife Officers, Holds AGM
SoftPower News — May 20, 2026
Uganda Wildlife Authority inaugurated 44 new Honorary Wildlife Officers at a ceremony alongside its Annual General Meeting, expanding its volunteer conservation corps heading into the 2026/27 financial year. The event also highlighted a record year for Uganda’s tourism sector: more than 1.6 million international arrivals and over $1.6 billion in revenue — the highest in Uganda’s history — driven in part by wildlife-based tourism to national parks, which saw over 259,000 visitors.

Uganda Formally Launches the State of Wildlife Resources Report 2026
Around Uganda — May 21, 2026
Coverage of the formal Kampala launch of UWA’s landmark national biodiversity assessment, documenting rhino population growth to 61 animals, chimpanzee numbers rising to 6,075, and mountain gorillas stable at 459, while flagging declines in elephant and lion numbers. UWA Executive Director James Musinguzi outlined plans to strengthen habitat restoration, invasive species management, wildlife disease surveillance, and strategic research partnerships to secure Uganda’s wildlife for future generations.

April 2026

Uganda Releases State of Wildlife Resources Report 2026
Uganda Wildlife Authority — April 28, 2026
UWA launches its most comprehensive national wildlife assessment, documenting rising populations of kobs, buffaloes, impalas, and zebras, while flagging declines in lions and elephants. The report highlights chimpanzee numbers up to 6,075, rhinos growing to 61, and mountain gorillas stable at 459, and calls for stronger habitat protection and technology-led monitoring.

Lion, Elephant Populations Drop as Uganda Records Mixed Wildlife Gains
Daily Monitor — April 2026
Analysis of UWA’s State of Wildlife Resources Report 2026, which shows herbivore species recovering while elephants and lions remain under pressure from poaching, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict — with implications for Uganda’s tourism economy. Also notes conservation successes including rhino population growth to 61 animals and chimpanzee numbers rising to 6,075.

Uganda Opens State-of-the-Art Wildlife and Timber Forensics Laboratory
UNODC — April 2026
Uganda officially opens an expanded Wildlife Forensics and Timber Laboratory at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre in Entebbe, funded by the EU and UNODC. The facility enables DNA profiling to produce court-admissible evidence in wildlife crime cases, and has now extended its mandate to cover timber trafficking — making it the only lab of its kind in the region.

UWA Celebrates Rising Wildlife Numbers in New Conservation Report
SoftPower News — April 28, 2026
Coverage of the State of Wildlife Resources Report 2026 launch in Kampala, where Tourism Minister Tom Butime and UWA officials highlighted EarthRanger and other technology-driven monitoring tools, pledged continued policy reforms, and underscored wildlife’s role in Uganda’s national economy.

Over 1,100 Young People Compete for 140 UWA Ranger Positions
New Vision — April 21, 2026
Across Uganda, thousands of young people turned out for UWA’s latest ranger recruitment drive, with more than 1,100 competing for just 140 posts in the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area alone. Applicants were put through fitness tests, medical checks, and document verification in a process praised for being transparent and corruption-free.

Amid Conflict and Poaching, Tech Helps Boost Mountain Gorilla Numbers
Mongabay — April 23, 2026
Mountain gorilla populations have rebounded 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered to endangered. This deep-reporting piece examines how SMART patrol technology, community engagement, and transboundary coordination across Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC have driven the recovery of the roughly 1,063 remaining gorillas in the Greater Virunga Landscape, even as conflict, poaching, and climate change continue to threaten their habitat.

Uganda’s 2025 Conservation Journey: Building the Foundations for 2026
African Wildlife Foundation — April 2026
Reviews AWF’s work across the Kidepo and Murchison landscapes in 2025, including water infrastructure to reduce human-wildlife conflict, ranger training for rhino monitoring, the handover of the Canines for Conservation program to UWA, and development of community eco-tourism action plans for 2026.

March 2026

Decades After Poaching Drove Them Extinct, Rhinos Are Back in the Wild in Uganda
Mongabay — March 2026
Forty-three years after the last wild rhinos were killed, the Uganda Wildlife Authority welcomed southern white rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary breeding program — the latest phase of a national reintroduction strategy that also includes Ajai Wildlife Reserve.

Uganda Rhino Reintroductions
Save the Rhino International — March 2026
An overview of Uganda’s rhino recovery, from the founding of Rhino Fund Uganda in 1997 and the Ziwa breeding program, through the January 2026 translocation to Ajai and the March 2026 milestone of rhinos returning to Kidepo Valley National Park for the first time since 1983.

Historic Rhino Reintroductions in Kidepo Valley National Park
Global Conservation — March 2026
Covers the March 17 reintroduction of rhinos to Kidepo in partnership with the Uganda Conservation Foundation and UWA, including the first-ever wildlife trading agreement between Uganda and Kenya and construction of a secure rhino sanctuary in the Narus Valley.

Stanley Johnson Visits The Gorilla Organization in Kisoro
The Gorilla Organization — March 2026
Stanley Johnson visits the Gorilla Organization’s resource centre in Kisoro, meeting reformed poachers, community members, and local leaders. The piece also describes the opening of the new Nyagakenke Village Primary School near Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and plans for a new permanent centre by Lake Mutanda.

UWA Arrests Man with 15kg of Pangolin Scales in Kiryandongo
Uganda Wildlife Authority — March 22, 2026
UWA reports the arrest of a suspect found in possession of 15 kilograms of pangolin scales in Kiryandongo district, underscoring ongoing enforcement efforts against wildlife trafficking across Uganda’s protected areas.

UWA Successfully Returns Stray Elephant to Kibale National Park
Uganda Wildlife Authority — March 31, 2026
UWA reports the successful capture and return of a stray elephant that had wandered outside Kibale National Park boundaries, highlighting ongoing human-wildlife conflict management efforts.

Uganda Showcases Rhino and Primate Conservation Success at ITB Berlin
Uganda Tourism Board — March 1, 2026
At ITB Berlin, Uganda highlighted its integrated wildlife conservation model — built on tourism-financed protection, community partnerships, and buffer zone management — with a focus on the recovery of the white rhino population and the growth of Uganda’s mountain gorilla and chimpanzee populations.

February 2026

Census Estimates 426 Chimpanzees Share Habitat with Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Forest
Xinhua — February 24, 2026
The first-ever dedicated chimpanzee census in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, conducted by UWA and the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda, confirmed 426 chimpanzees sharing habitat with mountain gorillas — establishing Bwindi as a multi-great-ape stronghold.

UWA Holds African Grey Parrot Conservation Symposium
Uganda Wildlife Authority — February 17, 2026
UWA hosted a symposium focused on the conservation of the African Grey Parrot, one of the most heavily trafficked bird species globally, addressing population monitoring, habitat protection, and anti-trafficking strategies in Uganda.

UWA Set For The 2026 Uganda Wildlife Half Marathon
Uganda Wildlife Authority — February 9, 2026
The 8th edition of the Uganda Wildlife Half Marathon, themed “Running to Educate Children of the Fallen Rangers,” raises funds for the Fallen Rangers Education Fund, which supports nearly 150 children of rangers who lost their lives protecting Uganda’s wildlife.

January 2026

Uganda Takes Back Rhino to Ajai Wildlife Reserve
Uganda Wildlife Authority — January 8, 2026
UWA successfully translocated four southern white rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve — the first-ever in-country rhino translocation in Uganda and the opening phase of a plan to move 20 rhinos to the reserve, restoring the species to its historical range in West Nile.

UWA Receives Equipment From WCS to Fight Wildlife Crime
Uganda Wildlife Authority — January 12, 2026
The Wildlife Conservation Society provided equipment to UWA to strengthen anti-poaching operations and wildlife crime enforcement across Uganda’s protected areas.

December 2025

Uganda Receives Eight Southern White Rhinos From South Africa
Uganda Wildlife Authority — December 9, 2025
Eight southern white rhinos donated by African Parks from Munyawana Conservancy in KwaZulu-Natal arrived at Entebbe International Airport, bringing Uganda’s total rhino population to 59. The four males and four females were moved to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for quarantine and acclimatisation before joining the existing population. Plans are also underway to introduce rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park and to translocate selected animals to Ajai Wildlife Reserve as part of a phased national recovery programme.

WCS Honored with Uganda’s Visionaries Award for Wildlife Environmental Conservation Organisation of the Year
Wildlife Conservation Society — December 10, 2025
The Government of Uganda presented WCS with the 13th Visionaries of Uganda Award, recognising over 60 years of conservation partnership including scientific leadership, protected area management support, training of hundreds of UWA and National Forestry Authority staff, and contributions to Uganda’s National Chimpanzee and Carnivore Conservation Strategies. WCS Uganda Country Director Simon Nampindo noted the award reflects the strength of long-term collaboration with government and communities.