Visit Pian Upe, Bokora, and Matheniko Wildlife Game Reserves in Uganda: After Murchison Falls Conservation, which is located around 2788 kilometers northeast of Mount Elgon, Pian Upe Wildlife Game Reserve is Uganda’s greatest conservation-protected area. Mountain Elgon Conservation Areas safeguard the Pain Upe Wildlife Game Reserve. Between Mountain Elgon National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park, Pian Upe Wildlife Game Reserve, Bakora Wildlife Reserve, and Matheniko Game Reserve were created in the 1960s.
Although it may not rain all year round, this game reserve is located in a semi-arid nation that typically receives rainfall from April to June through early September.
Forest and grassland encompass the game reserve, which is inhabited by two pastoralist tribes, notably the Pyan, from whom the name originates. Among the Kalenjin-speaking people, the Upe are referred to as the Pakot in Kenya and Uganda, while the Pian are known as Karamojong. There were a lot of wildlife species, but throughout the 1970s and 1980s, when Idi Amin was in power, some of it was poached. with the intention of restoring it to its former splendor. The reserve has mostly remained untouched in recent years as a natural home for rare animals, including ostriches, cheetahs, eland, larger kudu, and many other bird species.
In 1958, the Debasien Animal Sanctuary, located in the southern regions, was gazetted as a reserve. The region was moved northward and designated Pian-Upe Game Reserve in 1964, despite the government’s desire to turn the territory south of the Greek River into an agricultural area.
Plants
Both untouched and forested grasslands occupy the region. Woodland also covers small sections along the river’s banks. A portion of the land is under cultivation, and conversion poses a threat to the region close to the Greek River.
Wildlife in Pian Upe Game Reserve
There are over 44 mammal species in the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, which is Uganda’s greatest spot to see wildlife. Many of these species are only found in the Pian Upe and Karamoja sub-regions. Additionally, the game reserve is home to over 242 verified bird species and 11 unconfirmed ones, including ostriches.
Hyena, zebras, lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, greater kudu, orib, dik-dik, topi, and seldom roaming antelope may all be found at Pian Upe Game Reserve. Vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black-backed jackals, and others are also present.
The two main tree species in the wildlife reserve are red acacia and desert date. Bush willows, Harrisonia abyssinica, and red spike-thorns are also present. Wooly caper bush and butterfly pea are examples of shrubs.
Pian Upe Game Reserve community encounters
Two pastoralist tribes, notably the Pain, from whom Pian Upe gets its name, call it home. The Upe, who speak Kalenjin, are referred to as the Pakot in Kenya and Uganda, whereas the pian is known as the Karamojong. Cattle rustling is the root of the hostility between these two clans.
In addition to having their own intermittent wars, the Pian and the Upe were occasionally utilized as a single squad to battle nearby tribes in Kenya or Uganda.
Enjoy a complimentary trip to the eastern region of Uganda and hike with gorillas in the western region of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park to learn more about these reticent creatures.