KAMPALA, Uganda, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The populations of animals in Uganda's national parks and game reserves have soared over the past decade, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says.
The latest figures show that the population of some species has doubled since 1999 as wildlife has benefited from improved monitoring and the expulsion of rebels from the country, UWA spokeswoman Lillian Nsubuga said.
Since the expulsion of the Lord's Resistance Army from northern Uganda, wildlife officials have also been able to limit poaching in the region's parks and reserves, she said.
"We can't say that poaching is no longer a problem, but we have been able to reduce it," Nsubuga told BBC News.
The animals on the rise include zebras, buffaloes, giraffes and elephants.
The population with the biggest increase is that of the Impala, a grazing antelope.
The number of Impala in Uganda has risen to more than 35,000 from around 1,600 at the time of the last census in 1999, the UWA said.
