Uganda’s oldest lion, Kibonge dies at 18

 The sad news of the loss of Uganda’s oldest lion, Kibonge started spreading last Friday after the announcement which was made by Belinda Atim, the Public Relations Manager at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC).This came as a shock especially t nature lovers and tourists who were fond of loving this calm lion on their trip to the center formally known as Entebbe Zoo.

What started as a small illness turned out to be a life ending factor for Kibonge. It all started about 3 weeks when the fallen fighter stopped feeding. At that time, the workers at UWEC thought maybe it was due to lack of appetite since it was not his first time. But as time went on, the lion did not feed at all and this caught the attention of many workers at the center who had to bring in different doctors to see what the cause was. No serious illness was identified and this propelled some to conclude that Kibonge was dying of age since the life expectancy of lions is estimated to be between 10 and 16 years. Kibonge had lost all his teeth and indicator that he had grown too old and he could barely chew meat well. According to some workers at UWEC, they said that the fallen hero had noticed that his time had reached for meeting his creator to take him to another destination after enjoying life on earth. He laid on the ground as his body shrieked giving way day-by-day.

According to Atim, Kibonge will always be remembered and his bones will be preserved for educational purposes. Tourists will have a chance to look at them on their visit to the center and will stand a chance of being told the history about this historical mammal. In her statement, she said that lions symbolize authority and it would be disappointing to forget such a lion which has helped the country to attract tourists.

Brief History about Kibonge

Though he lived most of his time in Uganda at UWEC, Kibonge was born in Kenya and was abandoned at Nairobi Park by her parents where he was briefly raised before being donated to UWEC in 1999 at the age of three. He is well known for giving company to Salaam, a prominent lioness which has stayed alone for a long time at UWEC. However, the death of his lovely lioness brought sorrows until 2009 when more lionesses were brought in from London. Kibonge had many off springs among which are those still at the centre and others dead.

Uganda and its lions

Uganda is estimated to have about 300 lions among which are those protected at UWEC and other in the wild especially in the different national parks. But due to the increased poaching and inter-border crossing by the lions, the country faces a threat of depopulation of one of the great kings of the jungle which attract tourists from different destinations. Actually, many wildlife lovers on their safari to Uganda are fond of taking photos with the lions in their cages a thing that shows how much lions are loved.