At the first African Parks Congress (Kigali, Rwanda, July 2022), I found this unobtrusive autobiography of former Ugandan park warden Joseph Serugo. Few seem to have paid attention to it, unfortunately, yet his autobiography is a landmark in African conservation, providing a different perspective from those of wardens, invariably of European descent, who described the spectacular African wildlife and protected areas at the end of the colonial and early independence period. George Adamson's Bwana Game and Bruce Kinloch's Shamba Raiders, amongst others, featured in this journal's book reviews in the 1960–1970s. Following independence and the subsequent Africanization of wildlife services, (Western) public fascination seems to have shifted to Western scientists and conservation NGOs working in African protected areas, such as Jane Goodall, Cynthia Moss and Ian Douglas-Hamilton. This Western conservation centrism was bitterly attacked in the The Big Conservation Lie, arguing that the narrative of wildlife conservation in Africa is unjustifiably dominated by the so-called white saviour perspective, undermining the critical role that rangers, communities and local organizations play in conserving natural resources (Mbaria & Ogada, Reference Mbaria and Ogada2016). It is refreshing that Serugo took the initiative to revisit the prime subject of this controversy, the ranger autobiography, providing an insider's view into the lives of African park managers.
Joseph Serugo studied Botany and Zoology at Makerere University, Uganda, in the early 1980s, when his interest in conservation was triggered by a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park. After teaching in neighbouring Kenya, he returned to Uganda in 1989 at the end of the civil war. He applied for a position as ranger at the Game Department, was rejected, but nevertheless started as a project assistant in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Serugo soon left to pursue post-graduate training at the African College of Wildlife Management at Mweka, Tanzania. Mweka, created at independence to deliver qualified African wildlife managers, offers practical training to students from all over the continent (Scholte, Reference Scholte2003). It was there that Serugo learnt about the realities of African wildlife management. Returning to Uganda in 1991, Serugo was posted at Bwindi National Park, the start of a career at the Uganda Wildlife Authority that lasted till 2007, during which he managed six protected areas: Bwindi, Kibale, Lake Mburo, Rwenzori Mountains, Kibale-Semuliki and Mount Elgon National Parks, and which ended with a short period at headquarters. The book's chapters are centred around these postings, with a presentation of Uganda's outstanding protected areas in the annexes.
Bwindi National Park is now a prime tourism destination, renowned for its mountain gorillas, but in 1991 tourism and the Park's infrastructure were still in their infancy. As in Serugo's subsequent postings, the presence of research and development programmes was often a blessing as they provided much-needed logistical support, and stimulating professional exchanges, also with colleagues abroad. Such projects could also be a curse, however, and Serugo describes in his straightforward style a number of sour personal relationships, sometimes resulting in transfers to other postings. Whereas previous generations of European wardens had a military or hunting background, Serugo was amongst the first with university training. European wardens in Africa used to have high social status, albeit with low income and limited operational support (Parker & Bleazard, Reference Parker and Bleazard2001). This high status was not enjoyed by subsequent African managers such as Serugo, but the personal costs of being a ranger remained high, as readers of this book will discover. Serugo himself encountered multiple tragedies, including the loss of his wife on the eve of his departure to Mweka, car and motorbike accidents, suicides of colleagues, highway robberies, village uproars and attacks by wildlife. One wonders how he and his colleagues remained motivated despite poor working conditions, low salaries, lack of career progression, corruption, and most strikingly, the brusque and sometimes irrational changes in postings.
I encourage all involved in wildlife conservation to read Serugo's autobiography, enjoy his adventures, and be inspired by his pragmatism and positive attitude. I hope that increased awareness of the harsh working conditions of rangers may stimulate much-needed improvements, which will be essential for attracting qualified rangers such as Serugo, on whom—now more than ever before—the future of African wildlife depends.
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