By Christopher Cruise
Today on the program, we go to South Africa, where conservationists are using poison to save rhinos… [sic\.
“It is a little bit sore, but hard sore, but I’m, I’m happy in the fact that I now know that she is potentially very, very safe.”
Then, we go to Kenya, where wildlife officers are using high-tech methods to protect rhinos from poachers.
But first, we take you to Uganda, where hunters and farmers are threatening the country’s remaining lion population…
“If nothing is done and the population keeps going down, then it will not be likely that we will have them.”
Lions, and rhinos -- the subjects of our conversation today, as you learn everyday American English on As It Is, from VOA.
Can Uganda’s Lions Survive Poachers and Farmers?
Uganda’s lion population has fallen by 30 percent in the last ten years. Experts are warning that the big cats could soon disappear from the country. As Caty Weaver reports, that could hurt Uganda’s important and profitable tourism industry.
We are in one of Uganda’s national parks. There are grasslands as far as the eye can see. And there are many travelers from around the world. They have woken up early -- before the sun rises -- and their camps are now empty.
They are hunting, not with guns but with cameras.
Jossy Muhangi works for the Uganda Wildlife Authority. He knows what the tourists seek.
“For most of our game drives, people want to wake up at 6 a.m., in the wee hours, and they really look. Their first choice or the favorite animals for the tourists -- be it local or international -- would be a lion. For every tourist who comes to Uganda, the dream would be to at least spot a lion.” More....