Hit Enter to search or Esc key to close

Museveni Urges Conservationists to Name Wildlife Using Native Names

Museveni Urges Conservationists to Name Wildlife Using Native Names

Thumbnail

At the recently accomplished meeting well thought-out by Leadership for Conservation Africa at Paraa Safari Lodge, Museveni said native names should be used to endorse the African tradition.

Museveni queried the underlying principle of christening a bush pig as warthog, yet it has a local name, enjiri. He also added that the waterbuck is referred to as ekisunga in one of the Western Uganda languages ‘Runyakitara.’

The President disputed that heritage is part of conservation and since the European words are recent , besides the known English names, tourists in Uganda should also learn the native names.
He fortified his argument, saying the native languages are more specific than their English translations.

The president urged Mapesa the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and a member of the Leadership for Conservation Africa to bring back the legacy and put the local names of these animals in brackets.