Wounded Buffalo Kills American Sport Hunter

A wounded buffalo has killed an American sport hunter, Frank Stuart Cox, in the Karenga Community Wildlife Area (KCWA), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has confirmed. 

Cox met his death on the afternoon of February 3, 2025, during a scheduled sport hunting expedition. 

He was part of a four-member hunting party, which included fellow American citizen Trappe Mini Rudolf Francis, a UWA ranger, and a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer. According to a UWA statement, the group encountered five buffaloes during the hunt. One buffalo was shot but retreated into a nearby thicket. 

“Upon being located again, it charged at the group, fatally stabbing Cox and seriously injuring Rudolf,” the statement reads. The buffalo was later neutralized. Emergency evacuation procedures were immediately initiated, and the victims were transported to the Kidepo National Park airstrip for airlifting to Kampala. 

Cox succumbed to his injuries before the aircraft arrived. Rudolf was successfully transported to Kampala for medical attention. Cox’s body has since been transferred to Mulago Hospital City Mortuary for a post-mortem examination.

KCWA, located outside Kidepo Valley National Park in Karenga District, is managed by local communities, the Karenga District Local Government, and Uganda Wildlife Safaris, which holds a sport hunting concession with UWA. The area serves as a buffer zone for wildlife dispersal and supports a variety of species, including buffaloes, antelopes, elephants, and big cats. 

Sport hunting in Uganda is a regulated activity that allows tourists and professional hunters to target specific species in designated areas. It is primarily conducted in controlled hunting zones, such as wildlife reserves and private ranches, to generate revenue for conservation efforts and local communities while maintaining sustainable wildlife populations. 

Hunters must obtain a hunting license and a rifle import permit before arriving in Uganda. UWA requires a daily conservation fee of $100 from hunters and $40 from non-hunters, and all hunting must occur during daylight hours. The activity is restricted to certain species, such as antelopes, buffaloes, and warthogs, while endangered species like elephants, lions, and rhinos are off-limits. The policy allows for the hunting of up to 2% of adult male animals per species, based on census data, though concerns over wildlife population reliability persist.

Sport hunting remains a controversial issue in Uganda. Conservationists argue that it can lead to overexploitation of certain species and increase the risk of poaching, while also potentially harming Uganda’s reputation as an eco-tourism destination. Supporters, however, believe that regulated hunting can be a valuable conservation tool, as seen in countries like Namibia and South Africa, where hunting revenue funds conservation initiatives. 

However, its long-term impact in Uganda remains uncertain. Between 2001 and 2016, a total of 1,819 animals were hunted around Lake Mburo National Park and the Kabwoya and Kaiso-Tonya Game Management Areas. Impala and zebra were the most commonly hunted species, while sitatunga and hyena were among the least targeted.