Wildlife Crime Unit operation in Purongo leads to arrest and seizure of more than 46 kilograms of bushmeat
The illegal trade in bushmeat is one of the less visible forms of wildlife crime but for wildlife living in and around Uganda’s protected areas, its impact can be significant.
In September 2026, Uganda’s Wildlife Crime Unit (UWCU) conducted a targeted operation in Purongo, a community on the northern edge of Murchison Falls National Park, resulting in the arrest of a suspected bushmeat dealer and the seizure of approximately 46.43 kilograms of bushmeat.
The operation, conducted as part of Operation Excel, followed months of intelligence development and a previous enforcement operation in the area.
The UWCU first received intelligence concerning the commercial sale of bushmeat in Purongo, an area identified as having significant poaching and illegal wildlife activity associated with Murchison Falls National Park. Over several months, UWCU personnel developed the intelligence and identified premises where bushmeat was allegedly being offered for sale.
An initial operation in April 2026 resulted in three arrests and the seizure of approximately 200 kilograms of bushmeat. However, officers encountered significant community resistance during the operation, forcing the team to abandon the operation. Two rangers received medical treatment for minor injuries.
Despite that intervention, intelligence indicated that commercial bushmeat sales continued. The UWCU returned to the area in September.
On September 14, 2026, the UWCU led a joint enforcement team comprising officers from the Uganda Police Force, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) into Purongo.
The team arrested a subject and seized approximately 46.43 kilograms of bushmeat. The seized meat appeared to consist primarily of Uganda kob, including both fresh and smoked meat, as well as animal heads. The fresh meat was believed to have been obtained only hours before the seizure.
A rapid operation and a hostile response
The arrest and seizure took approximately 10 minutes. But as officers withdrew from the area, they came under attack from approximately 100 members of the local community, who threw stones at the enforcement team.
No officers were injured, although several vehicles were damaged. The operation had been specifically planned around lessons learned from the April intervention. Approximately 25 personnel and three vehicles were deployed, allowing officers to move quickly, secure the target and withdraw from the area.
The incident demonstrates the challenges faced by law-enforcement personnel attempting to address commercial bushmeat trafficking in communities surrounding protected areas.
The problem extends beyond the park
Poaching inside a protected area is only one part of the bushmeat supply chain. The Wildlife Crime Unit’s intelligence indicated that commercial bushmeat activity extends through the area with bushmeat being served in various restaurants.
This means that removing snares or arresting individual poachers inside Murchison Falls National Park addresses only one point in a much larger supply chain.
As the UWCU’s Operation Excel briefing noted, the commercial sale of illegally harvested wildlife outside the protected area can create continued demand and provide a market for animals being illegally killed inside the park.
Research conducted around Murchison Falls supports the importance of looking beyond the act of poaching itself. A study of bushmeat from communities bordering the park identified 34 wildlife species in 219 samples that could be genetically identified. The most frequently identified species included waterbuck (31.5%) and warthog (13.7%). Kob was the species most frequently reported by providers, accounting for 28.8% of samples.
Researchers have also documented that bushmeat hunting around Murchison Falls is driven by both food and income, while wildlife harvesting remains illegal in Uganda.
Another operation follows in Pakwach
The impact of Operation Excel extended beyond Purongo. Following the operation and subsequent engagement with a local representative of the President’s office, local police and UWA personnel conducted a similar operation in Pakwach the next day. That operation resulted in:
5 arrests
138.57 kilograms of bushmeat seized
Approximately 3.46 million UGX in estimated retail value
Approximately US$900
The WCU assisted with transportation of the seized meat and arrested individuals to Kampala.
Combined, the two September operations resulted in the seizure of approximately 185 kilograms of bushmeat and six arrests.
