Serengeti National Park
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The Serengeti National Park () is a large national park in Serengeti area, Tanzania, Africa. It is most famous for its annual migration of over one million white bearded (or brindled) wildebeest and 200,000 zebra.
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[edit] History
The Maasai people had been grazing their livestock in the open plains which they knew as “endless plain” for over 200 years when the first white man, Stewart Edward White recorded coming across it in 1913. The name Serengeti is an approximation of the word used by the Maasai to describe the area.
The area was declared as a ‘protected area’ in 1921 by the then German colonial administration. The national park was gazetted in 1951 by the English administration and it then became famous after the initial work of Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael in the 1950’s. Together they produced the book and film Serengeti Shall Not Die, widely recognised as one of the most important early pieces of nature conservation documentary.
As part of the gazetting of the park and in order to preserve wildlife from human interruption the area’s residents were moved to the Ngorongoro highlands. There is still considerable controversy surrounding this move, with claims made of coercion and deceit on the part of the colonial authorities.
The Serengeti is Tanzania's first national park and remains the flagship of the country’s tourism industry, providing a major draw to the “Northern Safari Circuit”, encompassing Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Arusha national parks, as well as Ngorongoro Conservation Area
[edit] Geography and Wildlife
The park covers 14,763km² of grassland plains and savanna as well as riverine forest and woodlands. The park lies in the north of the country, bordered to the north by the national Tanzania and Kenyan border, where it is contiguous with the Masai Mara National Reserve. To the south-east of the park is Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to the south-west lies Maswa Game Reserve, and to the western borders are Ikorongo and Grumeti Game Reserves, finally to the north-east lies Loliondo Game Control Area.
Human habitation is forbidden in the National Park with the exception of staff for TANAPA, researchers and staff of Frankfurt Zoological Society, and staff of the various lodges and hotels. The main settlement is Seronera which houses the majority of research staff and the park’s main headquarters, including it’s primary airstrip.
As well as the migration of ungulates, the park is well known for its healthy stock of other resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters, lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo. These species remain the key attractions to tourists, but the park also supports many further species including cheetah, gazelle and giraffe as well as a large and varied bird population.
[edit] Administration and Protection
As a result of the biodiversity and ecological significance of the area, the park has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites The administrative body for all parks in Tanzania is Tanzania National Parks or TANAPA.
Myles Turner was one of the Park's first game wardens and is credited with establishing anti-poaching defenses. His autobiography, "My Serengeti Years," provides a detailed history of Serengeti National Park's early years
[edit] References
- My Serengeti Years – Myles Turner
- Maasailand Ecology: Pastoralist Development and Wildlife Conservation in Ngorongoro, Tanzania - K.W. Homewood and W.A. Rodgers 24th October 1991, CUP
- National Geographic Magazine
[edit] External links
- Serengeti Official Site
- TANAPA - offical site of Tanzania's national parks
- World Heritage Sites Protected Areas - Serengeti
Kilimanjaro · Kondoa Rock Art Sites · Ngorongoro Conservation Area · Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara · Selous Game Reserve · Serengeti · Stone Town of Zanzibar
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