Nandutu: The human mother of an African lion

Growing up, 29-year-old Esther Nandutu, like many young people, always wanted to be a doctor and save people’s lives. Even in her smallest or wildest dreams, she never saw herself as a zookeeper or guardian of wild animals.

“I always wanted to be a doctor at my A-levels, I studied physics, biology and chemistry, but I didn’t manage to get into medical school. I settled for a bachelor’s degree in conservation education,” she says.

During her fieldwork, she worked at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center (UWEC), where she heard about the opportunity to become a zookeeper. When she applied for a permanent job, she was hired.

Nandutu has been working as a zookeeper and animal care expert at UWEC in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District for six years now.

The fear of wild animals is known to plague many, but Nandutu’s passion and love for animals were enough to propel her forward.

“I have been able to overcome my fear of animals over time and I am happy to see that animals feel free from injury and danger. It makes my work more fulfilling,” she says, adding, “Rescuing animals from communities and monitoring their progress through rehabilitation is a reward in itself. We can educate communities about conservation.”

Nandutu’s daily routine includes inspecting animals to ensure their health, providing tailored food based on individual needs, maintaining clean enclosures and observing animal behavior to record any changes.

On some days, Nanputu expands her duties by assisting with the center’s premier experiences, such as ‘Zookeeper for a Day’ and ‘Behind the Scenes’ tours. During these tours, she guides tourists through her daily routine, allowing them to interact closely with the animals and gain first-hand experience of her work.

Raising an African lion cub

Nandutu says the biggest milestone in her journey as a zookeeper is hand-rearing an African lion cub, Landlord, a survivor of four cubs from a first-time mother, Sofia.

Sofia was rescued from the wild as a cub and held in Uwec when she gave birth for the first time. “She gave birth to four premature cubs, but only the landlord survived. Due to the aggressive nature of the mother, we had to take over the care of the landlord,” she revealed.

“I had never come into close contact with these majestic creatures, especially at a young age. They look like puppies, they are so playful and need a lot of care and love just like a human baby,” explains Nandutu.

One of the much bigger challenges of raising Landlord was finding the right food. She says: “Uganda does not produce food for wildlife and if we have to find processed food, we have to import it.”

By relying on an already established animal care and welfare program at the center and learning from experts at the center, Nandutu and her fellow caregivers were able to find the right meal plan for the young African cub.

“We were able to develop a good diet for our cubs, for Landlord we mixed milk and meat until he was about six months old. We used to bottle-feed him,” she explains.

“We were able to build a bond with the Landlord, although it was a similar bond with the other three holders because everyone has days off during the week,” Nandutu explains.

But before he was six months old, the center’s policy required them to gradually break away from Landlord to ensure he regains his wild nature, regardless of whether he is kept in captivity.

“We understand that a wild animal remains wild and its behavior can change at any time. We also did not know what the fate of the animal was, because we are obliged to release animals into the wild,” she explains.

Much like weaning a child, they began to cut back on the time spent in contact with the animal before it was finally integrated with the pride at its core.

Because of her outstanding work, Nandutu was awarded a scholarship to travel to Barcelona, ​​Spain, to attend the International Conference of Zookeepers. During the conference, she gave a presentation on her expertise in hand-rearing an African lion cub, showcasing her valuable contributions in the field of animal care and welfare.