Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) have expressed concern about the low reproduction levels among animals kept in the Entebbe Zoo, where taxpayers’ money is used to feed, treat, and provide security for these animals, yet some are mating without producing offspring.
The concern was raised by Medard Sseggona (MP Busiro East), who wondered why the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) has had only two rhinos for a long time, and whether the two animals are suffering from infertility, which would require artificial insemination to assist in their reproduction.
“You have two rhinos, so you must protect them 24 hours. Do they produce or are they barren?” Sseggona asked.
In response, James Musinguzi, Executive Director of UWEC, attributed the failure of the two rhinos to reproduce to their environment, which has forced them to view each other as siblings.
However, MP Sseggona rejected this argument, wondering why Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch, a private facility, has a larger rhino population than Entebbe Zoo, despite keeping all the rhinos in an enclosed space.
“Is that the reason they give you for why they aren’t producing? You need to find out whether they are barren or not, because if they weren’t mating, that’s how you would convince me that they see each other as brothers and sisters. But these animals are mating,” Sseggona said.
As of June 2024, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch was home to 41 rhinos.
