The Ajai Wildlife Reserve is a small conservation protected area in North Western Uganda dominated by a large island surrounded by seasonally flooded swamps and wooded savanna.

Location

Ajai lies on the western bank of the

White Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the stri ...

, approximately east of

Arua Arua is a city and commercial centre within the Arua District in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. Location Arua is approximately north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, Arua is about , by road, west ...

History

Historically, Ajai Game Reserve was only declared in limited area of 4 square Kilometers as a Game Sanctuary by the British Government in 1937. Prior to this, the former President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States of America (USA) had visited in King Ajai's palace during his African expedition in 1910. During President Roosevelt's expedition he hunted several White Rhino's which drastically reduced the number of White Rhinos in the reserve. Five years later, approximately 1915, King Ajai started supervising hunting in the area. Ajai's efforts later led to the declaration of a controlled area about 4 square kilometers by the government in 1937. The area declared a sanctuary was part of King Ajai's palace and didn't extend beyond. By the time Ajai Reserve was gazetted in 1965, the Ajai Rhino Sanctuary was home to 60 of Uganda's 80 remaining

white rhino The white rhinoceros, also known as the white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum''), is the largest extant species of rhinoceros and the most Sociality, social of all rhino species, characterized by its wide mouth adapted f ...

. The WWF funded an anti-poaching project there in 1962. In 2002 Uganda Wildlife Authority began efforts to enlarge the boundaries of the reserve with a view of later re-introducing the White Rhino's into the reserve following years of the surviving Rhinos being kept at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola District. These efforts of government have reached advanced stages with the hope of improving the tourism earnings and economic development of the local communities and the nation. In 2008 the Uganda Wildlife Authority privatized the operation of Ajai. The concession went to Uganda Wildlife Safaris Ltd, a hunting and photographic tour operator.

Wildlife

The reserve supports around 35 kilometers of papyrus swamp along with grassy floodplains and Savannah woodland. Large mammals present include

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

, Uganda Kob,

sitatunga The sitatunga (''Tragelaphus spekii'') or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling medium-sized antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of South Sudan, Southern ...

hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...

black-and-white colobus Black-and-white colobuses (or colobi) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Colobus'', native to Africa. They are closely related to the red colobus monkeys of genus '' Piliocolobus''. There are five species of this monkey, and at least eight subs ...

and

warthog ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...

, and there are reputedly long-term plans to introduce southern white rhinos.

Getting there

To get to Ajai from Arua, follow the surfaced Packwach Road south for 15 kilometers to Olevu, then branch left on to a 40 kilometer dirt road running east to the reserve.

References

{{Protected Areas of Uganda Important Bird Areas of Uganda Tourism in Uganda Wildlife sanctuaries of Uganda