Hunger looms in Buliisa as elephants raid gardens
Pithua said that in most cases, buyers take the tobacco and pay later, like after a year.
Buliisa: Residents of Buliisa districts are at risk of facing a food shortage after elephants from Murchison Falls National Park are continuously destroying their gardens.
The most affected areas include Bugana, Kichooke, Waiga, and Ngaazi, all in Buliisa Sub County; Kilyangu; Ngwedo; and others in Ngwedo Sub County.
Helton Nfundize, 59, a resident of Bugana Kichooke, stressed that he lost about acres of cassava garden to elephants that evaded it at night.
‘’That was my only hope; I anticipate hunger in the near future because my hope was in the garden that was destroyed by elephants, and this is not the first time,’’ he said.
John Bosco Pithua, a resident of the same area, said he resorted to growing tobacco since it can’t be invaded by elephants. According to him, this is due to the continuous invasion of elephants.
‘’Though we have resorted to growing cash crops, we are also at risk of facing hunger outbreaks because they take long to harvest or sell and get money.’’
Pithua said that in most cases, buyers take the tobacco and pay later, like after a year.
Margret Kyosaba, a mother of four, explains that in most cases, elephants invade their gardens at night when they are sleeping.
‘’One day we woke up in the morning to weed the cassava garden, but to our dismay, we found that when elephants had destroyed the garden, it was an acre of cassava,’’ she said.
Fred Lukumu, the Buliisa district LCV chairman, acknowledged that wild animals, mostly elephants, have continuously destroyed acres of maize, watermelon, beans, and cassava, among other crops, decrying that the district would face a hunger outbreak in the near future.
In addition to looming hunger and poverty, Lukumu stressed that the elephants have so far killed five people within a short period of time.
‘’Elephants have killed so far five people in less than a year. Though the government started fencing the park, the speed isn’t favoring residents neighboring the park.’’
The district chairman also advised residents neighboring the national park to desist from moving at night since those who have become victims of elephants have been killed at night.
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