Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the state-run nature and conservation agency releases a media statement on the fire outbreak at Park View Safari Lodge in Western Region, that gutted the game lodge facilities. Denies any responsibility in cause of the fire
According to Uganda Wildlife Authority media statement dated July 24, 2021, it said, on Friday 23th July, 2021, there was an outbreak of fire at ParkView Safari Lodge which gutted the lodge facilities causing damage and loss of property.
As a result, statements have been made to the media by the Management of the Parkview Safari Lodge accusing Uganda Wildlife Authority to be the cause of the fire.
Specifically, we refer to a statement authored by one Solomon Oleny on behalf of the Parkview Safari Lodge and other media interviews alleging that the fire started from Queen Elizabeth National Park.
We wish to inform the public there has been no management burning in the park since the beginning of this year, therefore, the allegations are unfounded, untrue and should be ignored.
This unfortunate incident is being investigated by Uganda Police and we urge the management of the Park View Safari Lodge to allow the investigations to take their course.
We also urge them to desist from making unfounded conclusive statements that implicate UWA in the matter until we get to the bottom of what caused the fire.
We are committed to fostering a good working relationship with Parkview Safari Lodge and all stakeholders among the tourism value chain as partners in the tourism industry.
We are concerned about this incident because loss to any of our stakeholders is loss to the industry and it affects UWA and the country at large.
We extend our sympathies to the Management of Parkview Safari Lodge upon this unfortunate incident and pray that they overcome this and resume normal operations. The UWA statement concluded
Following videos and photos that have so far circulated on social media, the local community accuse Uganda Wildlife Authority to be responsible for the parks in the savannah wildlife parks. Like these two Twitter posts shared below;
However it is understood by the author of this blog that “controlled burn” is used in parks to meet management objectives.
A controlled burn is a set of conditions that considers the safety of the public and park staff, weather, and probability of meeting the burn objectives.
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