UGANDA WILDLIFE EDUCATION CENTRE
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) or more popularly known as Entebbe Zoo is situated in Entebbe, a coastal town located on the shores of Lake Victoria. There are many interesting tourist attractions Entebbe such as the International airport, the botanical gardens and the State house but the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre is the most popular. The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre showcases most of the different wildlife species found in the different national parks of Uganda. You can find lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, monkeys and chimpanzees at the Centre. It is only mountain gorillas that are suspiciously missing. Uganda Wildlife Education Centre is both a zoo and a wildlife sanctuary because some animals are caged while others have been left to live in their natural setting.
The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre was built to offer both animals and tourists a true wilderness experience. The Centre lies on a 72-acre land on the shores of Lake Victoria and is dominated by rain-forests. The ambience is perfect for animals to live comfortably and there are various pathways for visitors to watch animals in their different enclosures. UWEC plays a vital role in wildlife research and educating both local and international visitors about the importance of wildlife conservation. The zoo has an animal breeding program for endangered species as well as a veterinary hospital for injured or ailing animals. With the aforementioned facilities, zoo had to be reclassified as wildlife education centre. BBC
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre is the first place to go to if you are a tourist planning for a longer safari in the different national parks in Uganda. Visiting the Entebbe zoo is recommended for international tourists who are about to set off to the different national parks in the county. The Entebbe zoo is also perfect for people who are in the country for an international workshop/conference or business trip. Local tourists prefer visiting the Entebbe zoo as a cheaper option to visiting the safari parks considering that it has most of the animals they wish to see. There are many activities to engage in while at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre including the behind scenes tour, the casual zoo tour, birding watching, viewing chimpanzee/smaller primates and walking on the beaches along Lake Victoria. We will discuss these activities in more detail later on.
History of the Entebbe Zoo
The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre first started out as Entebbe zoo in 1950 and its objective was to act as a rehabilitation centre for orphaned, lone, vulnerable and injured animals. The facility was established by the British colonial government in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In 1960, it became open to the public. People were able to go to the facility and see the different wildlife species as well as imported species like the bears and tigers.
