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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 48751, member: 636"] Uganda bleeds money every year because crooks steal and sell wild animals. The country loses about 20 million dollars annually from this dirty business. Government workers and cops help the criminals instead of stopping them. Wildlife officials blame these crooked insiders for making the problem worse. Security forces that should protect animals actually help traffickers make money. Chemonges Mongea Sabilla from Uganda Wildlife Authority spoke about this mess during a meeting in Hoima City. He said the illegal trade keeps growing because traffickers work with people inside key government offices. Staff from wildlife groups and forestry departments join this criminal network. Local communities also take part in selling protected animals for cash. The corruption spreads through many different agencies. Michael Kyakashari works as a deputy commissioner in Hoima and sees the problem up close. People in his city keep wild animals in their houses to make money from them. Police arrest these traders but more keep appearing. The illegal business grows stronger each year despite government efforts to stop it. Bunyoro region lost most of its forests during the past ten years. Stuart Maniraguha from the National Forestry Authority watched the green areas disappear. Oil and gas companies damaged much of the natural habitat. Animals became easier targets for poachers after losing their forest homes. The environmental destruction happened faster than anyone expected. Judith Lamo wants intelligence teams to catch the powerful people running these trafficking rings. She believes organized crime bosses control the illegal wildlife trade. Officials need to arrest the main criminals instead of just small-time dealers. [/QUOTE]

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