The popular launch trips on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park that were temporarily suspended on October 20th 2004 will resume on Monday 8th November 2004.

Uganda Wildlife Authority would like to assure members of the public that Queen Elizabeth National Park is safe for tourists because humans are in no danger of catching the anthrax that is killing the hippos in QENP as long as they do not eat the meat of dead animals, touch dead animals or drink water that is not boiled.

This is evidenced by the fact that despite the presence of over 10,000 people who live in fishing villages inside the Park, there are no recorded incidences of human deaths as a result of anthrax.

Information about anthrax from experts indicates that this bacterium lives naturally in soil all over the world. Its outbreak is brought about by environmental and natural conditions such as prolonged drought. It attacks warm-blooded mammals through ingestion or close contact with dead or sick animals. It is easily controlled through proper disposal of carcasses of dead animals.

The reason we temporarily suspended the launch trips on the Kazinga Channel was because it was littered with the carcasses of dead hippos, which we believed was not a good sight for our tourists. As we speak, all the carcasses have been removed from the Channel.

We wish to encourage all those tourists and schools that have been planning to visit the Queen Elizabeth National Park not to cancel their plans because it is safe to visit the park.