Mammals in Queen Elizabeth national park

Mammals in Queen Elizabeth national park are a group of vertebrate animals belonging to class Mammalia and have mammary glands that produce milk for feeding their young ones. In Queen Elizabeth national park, there are over 95 mammals that have been recorded and they do live in different vegetation covers and waterbodies within the park.

Queen Elizabeth national park is found in the western part of Uganda in Kasese, Bushenyi, Kanungu, and Kamwenge districts. The national park is one of the oldest in the country gazetted by the government of Uganda in 1952. The reason for gazetting the national park was to create enough space and protect different animals that were living there including mammals.

Local people who were living in the park by then were evicted and this settled around the boundaries of the park. The government taught locals about the importance of the park and the animals which stopped poaching saving a lot of animals. All the 95 mammals that were recorded in the begging are still seen in the park and being part of different activities enables you to spot them.

What mammals are in Queen Elizabeth national park

There are 95 mammal species said to be living in the savannah vegetation of Queen Elizabeth national park. These animals do live in the different areas of the park with the highest population seen in areas like Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsular, and Ishasha sector.

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the national parks in the country with four out of the five big mammals. On a good day, tourists will be able to see all the big animals like the leopards on tree branches, lions and tree climbing if you happen to visit Ishasha, elephants in the swampy areas, and buffaloes everywhere in the park

Some of the mammals in Queen Elizabeth park include lions, buffaloes, Sitatungas, elephants, topis, defassa waterbucks, buffaloes, bushbucks, spotted hyenas, aardvarks, Nile crocodiles, hippos, giant forest hogs, small spotted genet, serval cat, Uganda kobs, banded mongoose, side-stripped jackal, and many others.

Best way to encounter mammals in Queen Elizabeth national park

Taking a game drive: Being part of the game drive activities in Queen Elizabeth national park will help tourists to explore a huge number of different mammal species. The day game drive activities can happen in any of the parts of the park among which include Mweya peninsula, Ishasha sector, and Kasenyi plains while the night game drives only happen in Mweya peninsula.

Different game trucks have been constructed in the park for easy movement and with good safari vehicles, you will be able to access most of the park areas. The game drives give tourists an opportunity to see mammals such as lions, Sitatungas, aardvark, topis, buffaloes, defassa waterbucks, bushbucks, side-stripped jackals, elephants, spotted hyenas, leopards, Nile crocodiles, hippos, Uganda kobs, giant forest hogs, small spotted genet, serval cat, banded mongoose, and many others.

Boat cruise: One of the best ways to see mammals in Queen Elizabeth park is by taking a boat cruise on Kazinga channel. The Kazinga channel boat cruise can be done in the morning or evening hours and both sessions give out the same experience. The boat cruise is a 2 hour activity that starts at Mweya near Lake Edward and goes all the way to lake George.

During the boat cruise, tourists will be able to see crocodiles, and hippos in the waters while other mammals will be seen along the shores grazing or drinking water most especially in the dry season. Some of the mammals you will see while on a bait cruise include buffaloes, elephants, topis, waterbucks, bushbucks, sitatungas, and Uganda kobs among others.

Nature walks: Nature walks are the best way to see different mammal species on foot. The nature walks are done in different areas of the park but the best regions to see mammals are Ishasha sector, Kasenyi plains, and Mweya peninsular. Protected by the armed ranger guide, tourists will be able to see animals such as lions, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, sitatungas, elephants, spotted hyenas, topis, defassa waterbucks, side-stripped jackals, buffaloes, bushbucks, hippos, and Uganda kobs among others.

Best time to see mammals of Queen Elizabeth national park

Mammals in Queen Elizabeth national park can be seen at any time of the year however there are periods that are better than the rest. The dry season is the best period to see mammals in Queen Elizabeth national park and this is because there is little or no rainfall received, vegetation is short and thin with good views of the animals, game tracks and roads leading to the park are in good condition.

Travelers can still visit animals in Queen Elizabeth national park during the rainy season and this favors budget travelers because they find discounted lodges. The rainy season has too much rainfall that makes the game trucks and roads leading to the park muddy and slippery, and the vegetation inside the park is tall and thick with unclear views of the mammals.