When the King of the Jungle Got Snared
3 October 2009


Kampala — THE mission seemed foolhardy, appropriately carried out on April1-Fools Day. Rescuing a lion trapped in a poacher's snare! But to wildlife expert Ludwig Siefert, this was no Fools Day prank.

Simon, that is the lion's name, was losing a lot of blood; a result of a poachers' wire snare that had cut deep into its flesh. Its life was hanging on a very thin and sharp wire. Unless something was done fast, the lion would soon be no more.

So while the rest of the world was celebrating Fools Day, Ludwig and his team were having an action-packed day in the wild plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda.

The deadly poachers' snare is made out of strong wire, with one end designed into a noose which is placed on the ground, while the other is fastened to a tree trunk or some other heavy object.

The unsuspecting animal steps into the noose and as it pulls away, the noose begins to tighten around its limb.

Some snares are made out of nylon thread or sisal.

But the most deadly are those made out of wire, because once trapped, it is almost impossible for the animal to break free.

It was Simon Mbonelo, the man who operated the ferry that plys up and down the Kazinga Channel who first spotted the snared lion, during one of his daily trips.

He reported to Siefert who immediately started mobilising a rescue team, an exercise that took him three days.

When it was finally assembled, it boasted of experts from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) backed by game wardens and rangers from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda's largest lion sanctuary.

According to Mbonelo, the trapped lion was lying in tall grass near the channel, with another lion watching over it from a nearby thicket.

"It was hard getting there because we had to dart (shoot it with an arrow smeared with a sleep-inducing drug, to make it go to sleep) the lion from the boat," recalls Siefert.

After shooting the lion, Siefert and his team waited a few minutes for the drug to take effect. They then moved ashore and chased away the second lion, which relocated to another thicket not very far.

To avoid nasty surprises, several armed rangers were deployed around the area, to provide a security ring for the experts to work undisturbed.

They did not have much time; their patient was in a bad state. The snare had held it around the neck and for three or more days, the lion had struggled to free itself, but only succeeded in tightening the noose around its throat and inadvertently subjecting itself to a slow and painful death, from which Siefert and his team rescued it at the eleventh hour.

The team had to work very fast and retreat back to safety, before the king of the jungle woke up from his deep drug-induced slumber. Within an hour, they had removed the murderous wire snare and applied medicine to the deep wound to speed up the healing process.

Mission over, the rescue team withdrew to monitor their patient's progress from the safety of their boat. Simon, named after the ferry operator who first spotted him, did not disappoint his benefactors.

In a few minutes he was up on his feet, clearly relieved that the life-draining wire snare was gone, and eager to take the first faltering steps into his "second lease of life".

By Siefert's estimation, the trap was probably set up around Kyambura, but the lion managed to drag it up to the channel, where the ferry controller spotted it.

If he manages to recover, Simon will make history as the first lion to be rescued from the poacher's wire snare, according to Siefert.

Four years ago, Siefert and his team carried out a similar operation, but the rescued lion failed to recover, despite frantic efforts to save its life.

According to animal experts, lions are social animals that live in a group, called a pride, and have a clear hierarchy. Loss of a member, therefore, undermines the survival of the pride.

"I saw that lion last week and it was doing great," says Obong Okello, the chief warden of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

"Simon has been moving around with another lion at Mweya because of the large concentration of game, particularly warthogs."

A decade ago, the park had more than 100 lions, but these have dwindled to about 50 due to poisoning by pastoralists who illegally graze in the park.

Other experts report that people commonly lace cattle carcasses with poison to kill entire prides, which also ends up killing other predators and scavengers.

"The problem of poisoning is not as much as it used to be when Basongora herdsmen were camping in the park three years ago," he says.

"At the moment, the Basongora herdsmen have restricted access to the park. Sometimes they stray, but this is minimal and under control."

A crippling drought has been affecting parts of Uganda, forcing increasing numbers of pastoralists to search for water and resources to support their livestock. The drought has also led some people to hunt wild animals for food.

However, Okello says snares most times are not meant for the lions.

"Poachers set snares for other species of animals like antelopes, but accidentally the lions sometime get caught," he says. "The snares are placed across the trails of animals, which poachers target. Since lions hunt similar species, they end up being trapped."

According to Okello, Kasese to the north of the park, Kyambura to the east and Kikorongo are some of the areas that are "planted" with snares.

He also says snare removal is one of the interventions that have been put in place to secure parts of the park.


For Siefert, the burning desire to see lions producing a thunderous roar in the protected areas keeps him responding to rescue calls. But collective efforts, he says, are needed to improve the livelihoods of people so that the protected areas for the wild animals remain secure.

Rescue team members

Siefert (team leader)

Sophia Jingo (UWA)

Emanuel Koojo (UWA)

Julius Twesigye (UWA)

Robson Kato (UWA)

Simon Mbonelo (Mweya Safari Lodge)

Plus several game rangers from Queen

Elizabeth National Park