The communities of Bucece Village, Rutaka Parish in Kirundo Sub County, Kisoro district are working with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to track down criminals who are involved in capturing Long-tailed Cormorants, also known as reed cormorant for their meat and eggs.
The communities managed to arrest one suspect by the names of Anthony Twesige with several birds and eggs.
The suspect is known to transport different items to camp sites across the lake using a canoe.
During his interrogation, he revealed that his sponsor is a man called Emmanuel Ntigaterura however www.vomuhabura.com has not been able to independently verify the claims.
He further said the birds are on high demand by Congolese who buy each at 500, 000 Ugandan shillings.
The eggs are sold in Kisoro town to Chapati makers who need eggs to make rolex, a common delicacy among Ugandans.
Aurelia Kyalimpa, the Community Conservation Warden with the Uganda Wildlife Authority says one suspect has been arrested and taken to Kisoro Main Police Station
https://twitter.com/vomuhabura/status/1683788364862849024?s=20
She declined to divulge any details so as not to hamper the investigations.
The attacks on the Long-tailed Cormorant has generated negative feedback from birders and the general public who are concerned about the fate of the bird.
https://vomuhabura.com/kisoro-resident-saves-national-bird-from-captivity/
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Long-tailed Cormorant ( Microcarbo africanus) is listed as Least Concern however its population has been decreasing over the years.
It lives permanently on freshwater bodies and feeds on fish, frogs and insects.
The feeding and breeding places are increasing under threat from human activity.
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