The Herbivores you can find in Uganda on your Safari

The Various Herbivores – Plant Eating Animals, found in Uganda

You can find Herbivores in Uganda – Information, Background, Parks and Wildlife Reserves where herbivores such as Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Zebra, Rhinos, Warthogs, and Bush Pigs are found in Uganda.

Here are The Herbivores you can see in Uganda on Safari

African Elephants:

This is the largest land animal in the world, and at the same time, one of the most intelligent ones, and to watch a herd of Elephants can be most fascinating. An adult elephant grows as tall as 3 1/2 meters and 6000 kg in weight.

The females live in close groups, and the oldest female is in charge of the family’s matriarch. A mother-daughter relationship can last up to 50 years long. The young males leave at 12 and can be on their own or part of a herd of bachelors.

In Uganda, you can find two kinds of elephants, the Forest Elephants, which are smaller and hairier than their savannah cousins –though there can be interbreeding, and the savanna elephants. You can find elephants of the forest or savanna kind in all savanna parks except Lake Mburo.

African Buffalo:

Uganda has many buffaloes in game parks, such as Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and others. You can find them in forest areas and the savannahs of Uganda.

They are adaptable to various habitats, and you can even find some hybrids that cross between the red buffaloes of the West African Forests and the savannah buffaloes of East Africa. These can be found both in Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Buffaloes live in large herds in the savannah areas of Uganda and more miniature packs in the forest areas. There are smaller family clans within those herds, and you can often find a lone Buffalo. The females tend to kick out males who they no longer welcome.

Antelopes:

Uganda is home to 29 species of antelope, including the Eland antelope – the world’s largest antelope, measuring up to 180cm at the shoulder.

Other abundant species include the greater kudu, which has long, elegant spiral horns and white side stripes; Jackson’s Hartebeest – an unusual, flat-faced creature found only in Uganda, and the Shaggy Waterbuck – often found near rivers and lakes, as their name suggests.

Fascinating yet rarely seen is the Semi-Aquatic Sitatunga antelope, whose splayed hooves are adapted for life in the papyrus swamps. Much more common are Grant’s gazelle, which can live in herds of hundreds of individuals, and the attractive Uganda Kob – Uganda’s national antelope.

Rhinos:

Uganda was home to both the black and northern white Rhinoceros. Poaching and the war years took their toll, and today you can only find them in the Ziwa Rhino Sancy; there, the plan is to release stocks into places such as Murchison Falls National Park in the future.

A visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is an excellent addition to any safari that takes in Murchison Falls Park and can be done either while going to or coming from Murchison Fall National Park.

Tracking Rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is one of the highlights of a safari in Uganda. It is also a close-up encounter in the Wild, and you get as close as 10 meters to the Rhinos. Read more about Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary here.

Hippos

Large animals are responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other mammal; you will find them in National Parks and along rivers and lakeshores throughout Uganda.

The highest concentration of hippos in Africa is in Queen Elizabeth Park along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George. You can also see vast numbers of them as you take a Nile Boat Safari at Murchison Falls National Park.

Many people do not realize that hippos do not swim but bounce on the bottom of rivers and lakes.

They graze at night, consuming a large amount of grass per day and wiping out vegetation if they are high in numbers as they are in Queen Elizabeth Park, where in the late 1950s, a hippo cull took place to restore the plant and cause other wildlife to return to the area. Read more about hippos in Uganda here.

Rothschild or Nubian Giraffes:

This is the tallest animal in the world. They can grow up to 5 1/2 meters and live in semi-structured groups, but you will often find them in more massive herds moving through the savannah areas of Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo, and Kidepo Valley Park, grazing in the trees.

They move gracefully with their massive bodies; it is a humorous sight when you watch them coming to a watering hole and as they crouch down and partake of the water.

In Uganda, you will find the Nubian or Rothschild Giraffes, also known as the Uganda or Baringo Giraffes. The largest herds of Rothschild – Nubian Giraffes are found in Murchison Falls National Park.

Read more about Giraffes in Uganda here.

Wild Pigs such as Warthogs:

You will see the lovable warthogs in Uganda’s game parks and wildlife reserves. They are Grey and have beautiful tusks; seen in family groups, trotting around with their tails raised, it just makes you smile. They are often found in savannah parks such as Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Parks, and other Savannah Wildlife Reserves.

Though more challenging to spot because of its nocturnal ways, the Bushpig is common. It is bulkier and hairier, and you can find them in all National Parks except Rwenzori National Park in Uganda.

Then there is the Giant Forest Hog which is the largest of the wild swine found in Africa. Again they have nocturnal habits and live inside the forest. You might be able to spot them by day in Queen Elizabeth National Park along Channel Drive.

Zebras:

This lovely, stubborn, striped horse is found in Uganda’s national parks, Lake Mburo and Kidepo Valley National Park.

The Burchell Zebra is commonly found all over eastern and southern Africa. You can see them in large groups, but they are usually composed of family groups consisting of one stallion, five mares, and offspring.

Though the zebras are lovely to look at, and many people enjoy watching and viewing them, they have a grumpy and quite aggressive disposition. When colonialists tried to use them as domestic animals, they failed. Watching them in the wild is much more beautiful than maybe on some farmyard.

For most, the best park to see the Zebras is Lake Mburo National Park in Western Uganda. Read more here about Zebras in Uganda.

Ankole Cattle:

Ankole Cattle are Herbivores that you will see on a Safari in Uganda, especially in Western Uganda. They are domestic animals, but their appearance makes them a tourist attraction. No safari to Uganda is complete without some pictures of Ankole cattle.

They are an endangered species today due to crossbreeding, In recent years, there has been the importation of milk cows from Europe and limited grazing land, and they have been crossbred with Ankole cattle or replaced Ankole Cattle.

The Ankole Cattle Herbivores are part of most Safaris. Even if you do not see them, you might taste them as you devour a steak on Safari. We think they are worth including in a list of Herbivores in Uganda that Tourists see on Safari. Read more here.

Mountain Gorillas:

Gorillas are a specialized type of herbivore called a folivore. They mainly feed on leaves, and Vegans point to them as proof that one can grow into a large and powerful animal that lives on a plant-based diet.

Gorillas sometimes deviate and eat some ants here and there, but their mainstay is a plant-based diet despite their size. This is to the delight of vegans and vegetarians.

Leaves, however, are the mainstay of a Gorilla Diet. They also chew on driedBark for their salt intake. Leaves, however, are the staple of their diet.

We included them in our list of herbivores that you might see on a Safari in Uganda, and most Visitors are drawn to the country because of Mountain Gorillas.

The Herbivores you can find in Uganda -The herbivores are most often seen on game drives in Uganda’s National Parks, but even outside of parks – Uganda is home to both Forest Elephants and Savanna Elephants, both of which can be seen on Game Drives and Nature Walks in the Parks.

You can find the Herbivores in Uganda – if you have any questions, please get in touch with us.