Three lions have been found dead in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda’s most popular national parks. The incident was detected by EarthRanger technology which flagged unusual patterns in the movement of lions tracked in the Queen Elizabeth Game Park.
In a press statement issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) on December 11th, 2025, the carcasses—two males and one female—were found in the Akabale area of Nyamugasani in by the UWA monitoring teams.
The monitoring team detected abnormal movement patterns from a collared lion and thus tracked the movement of the man eaters. The detection was made through EarthRanger, a real-time wildlife protection system that integrates satellite and field data to track animal activity.
Following the death of the three lions, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has opened a full investigation into what caused the deaths of three sub-adult lions. The officials point to this “deeply troubling incident” towards possible poisoning which is always done by the local communities who live adjacent to this national park in Western Uganda.
Responding to the unusual signals, UWA rangers moved into the area and found the three young lions dead at the scene. Follow-up searches within the same vicinity revealed a cow carcass that appears to be central to the case. Officials reported that part of the cow’s remains had been stuffed in a bag containing unidentified substances, while the rest was left exposed. Items including a panga and a pair of slippers were also discovered nearby—objects now considered key evidence.
While the exact cause of death remains unconfirmed, the placement of the cow remains, and the presence of unknown materials have raised suspicions of poisoning, a recurring threat to big cats in the region where human–wildlife conflict sometimes escalates to retaliatory attacks.
It has been revealed that the Uganda Wildlife Authority has informed the Uganda Police in Kasese, and the two agencies have already launched a joint investigation to determine what happened inside the protected area and who may have been involved.
The Forensic teams are analysing samples from the Akabale site, and investigators are following up with leads that could result in criminal prosecution under Uganda’s wildlife protection laws.
In recent years, Queen Elizabeth National Park has seen several incidents of wildlife killings linked to tensions between local communities and predators that prey on livestock. Conservationists fear that each loss has long-term implications for the lion population in Uganda national parks, already categorized as endangered.
The deaths mark the latest setback for one of the country’s most iconic species, and authorities say they are determined to bring those responsible to justice as the investigation unfolds.