New Delhi: The continent of Africa has a biodiversity which can be matched by very few other places in the world. Among the African countries which are known for their wildlife, Tanzania, a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region holds a special place. The country is home to the famous Serengeti National Park, which is known for one of the largest annual animal migrations in the world. In this article, we will explore the history and biodiversity of this national park which serves as a refugee to numerous wild animals.
When and how as the Serengeti National Park established?
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Serengeti plains and the massive numbers of animals there were described by the explorers and missionaries. It were the explorations in the late 1920s and early 1930s which gave Europe and the rest of the world the first references to the great wildebeest migrations. In 1930, in southern and eastern Serengeti, a game reserve was established covering an area of 2,286 square kilometers.
Till 1937, sport hunting was allowed there which was banned after that year. In 1940, the area became a Protected Area Status and in 1951, the Serengeti National Park was established. Back then, the national park comprised of southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro highlands. In 1959, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area got separated from the Serengeti National Park and they extended the boundaries of the park to the Kenya border. In 1965, the Serengeti National Park got the Lamai Wedge, and thus a permanent corridor was created which allows the wildebeests to migrate from the Serengeti plains in the south to the Loita Plains in the north. Notably, the national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The great migration, a marvelous spectacle
As has been mentioned, the Serengeti National Park witnesses the largest annual animal migration in the world. The entire migration route is around 800 km and it starts by March when the dry season sets in. At the beginning, around 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebras start to migrate north towards Maasai Mara in Kenya and they are later joined by plain zebra, common eland and Thomson’s gazelle.
The Serengeti National Park is comprised of 1.5 million hectares of savannah. The annual migration of two million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras with their predators following them is one of the most impressive nature spectacles in the world. The migrating herds start to head back south when the dry season ends in late October. Thousands of wildebeests and zebras die during this migration.
The wildlife of Serengeti National Park
The biological diversity of the Serengeti National Park is very high. It has at least four globally threatened or endangered animal species: Elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah and wild dog. The national park is a safe haven to lions, African leopard, African bush elephants, African buffalo and Eastern black rhinoceros. Other animals found in the national park include spotted hyena, striped hyena, African golden wolf, black-backed jackal, African wild dog, African python, Nile crocodile and black mamba.
The home to indigenous tribes
The region where the Serengeti National Park is located was inhabited by human ancestors (Australopithecus afarensi) millions of years ago. Today, it is home to several indigenous tribes, including the famous Maasai. The tribe is popular and unique due to the fact that they have preserved their culture. They rigorously follow their traditional way of life, which has made them a symbol of Tanzanian and Kenyan culture.
Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, boasts the world’s largest annual animal migration. Established in 1951, its history involves early exploration, game reserves, and eventual protection. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
