analysis
By Sosthenes Mwita
Manyara
Region has a natural forest reserve spanning 992,795 hectares. The
forests are scattered in all five districts - Babati, Hanang, Kiteto,
Mbulu and Simanjiro.
The region also has
two major national parks - Tarangire and Lake Manyara, - which are rich
in wildlife. Tarangire is a rich wildlife sanctuary with both friendly
and hostile weather.
During the dry
season the sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the dusty
red earth. The withered grass becomes as brittle as straw. The Tarangire
River shrivels but remains a popular drinking hole for wildlife.
Thirsty nomads wander into the river from hundreds of kilometres away looking for water and the patches of withering grass.
Herds of up to 300
elephants scratch the dry river-bed for water while wildebeests, zebras,
buffaloes, impalas, gazelles, hartebeest sand elands crowd the
shrinking lagoons.
Tarangire is the
greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem.
During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000
square kilometres and graze until they exhaust the green plains.
At this juncture,
River Tarangire calls once again. Tarangire's herds of elephant are
easily encountered during the wet and dry seasons. The swamps in the
river host about 550 species of wild birds.
The park is the
most popular place in the world for various species of birds, according
to a brochure published by the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa). Some
species of birds home in to breed and them migrate to other parts of the
world.
Other birds are
permanent residents. On drier ground tourists find the Kori bustard, the
heaviest flying bird; the ostrich -- the world's largest bird and
smaller parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
Bird watchers might
keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful
yellow-collared lovebird and the somewhat drabber weaver and ashy
starling - all endemic to the dry savannah of northcentral Tanzania,
especially in the Tarangire.
Disused termite
mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose,
and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves
by their loud, clockwork- like calls.
Tarangire's pythons
climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches
where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.
Tarangire National Park is 2,850 square kilometres in size and is
located in the south-west of the city of Arusha.
It is 118
kilometres away form the city. The park offers picturesque views of
Savannah lands, acacia stands, clusters of baobab trees and large tracts
of rarely visited game lands. In an area of about 1,000 square
kilometres, Tarangire has nine vegetation zones, each supporting
distinct types of wildlife.
The park is named
after the Tarangire River that runs through the centre of the park - a
highly valuable water source in the area.
Tarangire is thus a
largely dry season (between July and November) habitat because of the
perennial water in the Tarangire River. The water attracts wildlife from
most of the northern circuit ecosystems.
By October the
wildlife population swells with mini-migrations of wildebeests and
zebras that join the vast herds of elephants at the watering holes.
However, there is a permanent resident population throughout the year.
This includes all
the predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and hunting dogs),
elephants and some mammals rarely seen in the other parks of the
Northern Circuit, such as Kudu and fringe-eared Oryx.
The gnarled baobab
trees that greet the visitor on arrival, shimmering stands of acacia,
woodlands and open savannah plains all foster a diverse array of
wildlife and over 300 species of birds.
The rains scatter
the seasonal visitors over a 20,000 square kilometre range until they
exhaust the green plains. Tarangire has the highest population density
of elephants in Tanzania.
It also has sparse
vegetation, strewn with baobab and acacia trees. Located just a two
hour's drive from Arusha, Tarangire is a popular stop for tourists
traveling through the Northern Circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and
Serengeti.
Tarangire extends
into two game controlled areas. Before the rains, herds of gazelles,
wildebeests, zebras, and giraffes migrate to Tarangire National Park's
scrub plains where the last grazing land still remains and during the
dry season elephants abound. Families of the pachyderms play around the
ancient trunks of baobab trees and strip acacia bark from the thorn
trees for their afternoon meal.
A tourist, Mr
Rogers George, said recently that Tarangire was "simply a wonder world."
The park is largely famous for the elephants and baobab trees. "In
fact, the number of elephants has reached a level where it is beginning
to cause a headache to the authorities," he observed.
After their only natural enemies (humans) decided to protect them, there is nothing to keep their numbers in check.
There are about two
elephants per square kilometre in Tarangire and the animals are
converting the entire area into a vast desert at an alarming rate, the
tourist said. Elephants eat a lot and destroy much more than they eat
and they can easily make a Sahara out of a mud swamp, he said.
Water supplies to
camps and lodges are always short because a herd of elephants has dug
open and destroyed the water pipes under the ground. "Of all the animals
in the park, the only ones to consistently charge at and attack safari
vehicles are the elephants," Mr George said.
"This is mainly due
to the fact that they are one of the few animals to look down upon
these noisy machines (motor vehicles)," he said. "I saw a mother
elephant charge at one of the vans when it came a bit too close to her
calf for her comfort. Luckily no damage was done," the tourist said.
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