TORONTO -- Six lions were found dead due to possible poisoning in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda on Friday, according to officials.
The bodies were found missing several body parts and surrounded by eight dead vultures, indicating the lions may have been poisoned, Bashir Hangi, communications manager for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), said in a statement on Saturday.
Because of the body parts missing, the UWA said they couldn鈥檛 rule out illegal wildlife trafficking.
Hangi said that he is 鈥渟addened鈥� by the deaths and the UWA 鈥渟trongly condemns鈥� illegal wildlife hunting.
A team of investigators is on the ground and collaborating with police in Kanungu district, the statement said.
鈥淚t does not only impact negatively on our tourism as a country, but also revenue generation, which supports conservation and community work in our protected areas,鈥� Hangi added.
This is not the first incident involving lions at Queen Elizabeth National Park. In April 2018, a pride of 11 lions, which consisted of three adults and eight cubs, were killed, with poisoning being the likely cause of death, according to a statementby the Uganda Wildlife Authority from 2018 addressing the incident.
