About the Founders:
Eric Ndorere
Co-Founder, was born and raised in the Nyanga community, which borders the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP). After secondary school, Eric enrolled in the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute Jinja and graduated in Wildlife and Tourism Management. After graduation, he joined the Uganda Wildlife Authority as a park ranger and posted in the Mgahinga National Park. A short time later, Eric was transferred to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park for two and one-half years. While at Bwindi, he participated in gorilla habituation, the gorilla census, and guiding across the border under the International Gorilla Conservation Program. Eric joined Marasa Africa based in Murchison Falls National Park as group head guide and trained in wildlife capture by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Over the years, he has participated in various captures and translocations across the national parks. From 2012-2015, Eric became head guide at Premier Safaris, Ltd. after which time he decided to become a private safari guide with a concentration on wildlife conservation, a position he currently holds.
Richard Tumusiime
Richard, co-founder, was born and raised in Western Uganda at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon, Kabarole district. He grew up in the conservation zone, living alongside wildlife, and developed an enthusiasm and appreciation for nature at an early age. After his primary and secondary levels, Richard joined the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka-Tanzania where is successfully completed all courses and received diplomas in Wildlife Management and other related fields. Richard started guiding in 1995 and worked with the Uganda Wildlife Authority participating in research and monitoring for data collection; chimpanzee habituation; hospitality and visitor handling; Animal Censuring Project; Jane Goodall Institute and many others. In 2016, Richard became a tourist driver-guide where he was able to utilize his experiences with wildlife management as well as his education in the hospitality industry. In 2021, Richard became equally concerned when the six tree-climbing lions were poisoned and decided to join hands with Save Wildlife Uganda to engage and sensitize communities bordering the Ishasha sector of QENP.
Stacey Sadelfeld
Co-Founder. Born and raised in New York, NY (USA). She has been traveling to Africa since the late 1990’s and felt an immediate connection to the people and the wildlife. During a 2019 visit to Uganda, Eric was Stacey’s guide, and they discussed at length their passion and dedication to wildlife conservation as well as realizing the needs of the local communities and the challenges they face with Human-Wildlife Conflict. After the 2021 poisonings of the tree-climbing lions, Stacey and Eric joined forces to establish an organization that could both address the tremendous pressure wildlife is under with a growing human population and habitat loss, but also offer the community incentives to realize the benefits that come along with protecting Uganda’s precious wildlife. In June, 2022 Stacey was made aware of a system being used in Kenya whereas strobe lights are installed on farmers’ bomas that flash at night and keep predators from breeching it and killing livestock. To date, Eric has outfitted 11 bomas in what we are calling Lights for Lions Uganda, which has proven to be an overwhelming success. Stacey also manages WildlifeUganda.org’s social media pages.
Our Objectives:
- Engage people in activities geared towards understanding revenue sharing allocations to the wildlife affected communities
- To advocate for sensitive nature heritage environment for promotion of tourism and agro-forestry.
- To advocate for rural development through preservation of wildlife in communities around QENP.
- To provide open space, recreational tourism, and cultural heritage opportunities in the wildlife affected areas of the Ishasha sector/QENP.
- To support social needs of the rapidly growing population of communities around the Ishasha sector/QENP.
- To train specific groups of people in the use of technology for communicating and accessing ideas which are relevant to the development of wildlife rights.
- To mobilize resources for community empowerment through sustainable livelihood programs that promote better services in communities around Ishasha.
- To outfit bomas in the Hamukungu village with our “Lights for Lions Uganda” deterrent system.
Future Projects:
- Supporting reformed poachers with different livelihood programs like piggery, fishing, farming, goat keeping, woodworking, and constructing animal sculptures using confiscated snares.
- To train semi-educated young boys and girls in guiding and hospitality skills and distribute them to nearby lodges as a way to eliminate future poachers.
- Scholarships for vulnerable children.
- SMART agricultural practice or modern farming, teaching communities how to make handcrafts for purchase by tourists.
- Replacement of livestock killed by predators in our area of operation.