Why shouldn't all of us have a Serengeti on our doorstep?
This is the first question I asked myself when I first enter the Serengeti National Park back in 2011. I believe in recent human 'development' we dispossessed a large amount of biodiversity that we rarely see now in the national parks.
I keep on asking myself, how many more have been lost extinct without leaving relics in geological time and space. It’s very hard to know how much new species that we had throughout the life of our planet. So, if we don’t know how much there is to begin with, we don’t know exactly how much we’re losing. Surprisingly, science has a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are/were on Earth. I stopped asking, because I know I am hard-wired to feel at peace when I am in the countryside.
It’s obvious that there is something erroneous constantly happening in the biodiversity with regard to human development. Study shows that the rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current extinction challenge is one for which a single species - ours - appears to be almost entirely responsible. We have destructed an impulsive sustainable world and replaced it with an indefensible world of concrete, bitumen, metals and alloys. The Serengeti is the last remaining phenomenon place of Creation, Evolution, and the meaning of Life. Here is how I see it:
The Greater Serengeti ecosystem:
The name, Serengeti, comes from the Maasai, meaning "endless plains". The Serengeti National Park itself covers about 15,000km² of mostly flat or gently rolling grasslands, interspersed with the occasional rock outcrops, or kopjes. But this is just the centre of a whole ecosystem which covers more than double that area, and includes Grumeti Reserve, Ikorongo Game Reserve, Loliondo Controlled Area, Maswa Game Reserve, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and also Kenya's relatively small Maasai Mara Game Reserve. This combined area is often referred to as the Greater Serengeti area, or the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed a 7th world wide wonder. Because of the volcanic soils on the plains, grass grows incredibly quickly but there are almost no trees.
The Serengeti Migration:
Also known as the Serengeti wildebeest migration. It is the movement of vast numbers (in millions) of the Serengeti's wildebeest, accompanied by hundred thousands of zebra, and vast numbers of Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, eland and impala. These move in an annual pattern which is fairly predictable. They migrating throughout the year, constantly seeking fresh grazing and, it's now thought, better quality water. The precise timing of the Serengeti wildebeest migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.
The Serengeti Domes:
I didn't notice high mountain ranges and hills of significant rock in the Serengeti. I saw Granite outcrops; it seems that the volcanism in the region is plutonic, due to this a significant formation must had crystallized under the surface. When it is exposed by erosion, it forms the gorgeous isolated granitic-domes. Later I found out that they are the late Precambrian outcrops of granitic gneisses and quartzite project from the surface as inselbergs. This Serengeti Granitic Domes are characterized by boulders of polygonal stature, which are grayish in color but turned to white due to weathering by sun and rain. They are locally called kopjes
The Soils:
During my 2-days stay in the Great Serengeti I have studied two types of soil formations which are easily recognizable along the route corridor.
The first ones are the residual soils, which are the minor soil types covering some portion of the Serengeti; they are mostly derived from the in-situ weathering and decomposition of volcanic rocks; these soils are mostly reddish brown gravelly or silty clay soils grading into hard rock; the reddish varieties are called Laterite. They are located along the hill foots of the domes, and also in the top flat mesa.
The second ones are the alluvial soils, which are the transported soils, they are predominant in the Serengeti. They are the underlying soils and materials of the Serengeti plains which comprised of volcanic ash derived from a number of local volcanoes such as the Ngorogoro caldera.These are thick, whitish silty Sandy soils with minor light brown gravelly or sandy variety. They are mostly occurring over low flat lying areas. These soils when located in localized sag areas forms the dark and grey silty clay soils which are known as the Black Cotton soils, they abundantly collect water and irrigate the biodiversity.
The Wild Life:
There are so many different species in the Serengeti that this list could go on forever. It is very interesting to see the wide variety of animals doing their everyday jobs centered on surviving. It is much harder to spot carnivores than herbivores in the Serengeti, and because of the huge number, the animals can be fairly spread out. It seems that the Carnivorous dictate the Serengeti in the night than in the day.
The Lions sleeps after lunch:
Serengeti is not that exciting until when I came upon the grande finale! Near the road was a pride of lions taking nap, after enjoying their freshly killed gazelle. They didn’t pay any mind as I stay close and taking pictures only a mere 10 meter away. I noticed one of the female lion had a radio collar on the neck, this is an important tool used in the Serengeti to monitor the state of the lion population.
Family of Elephants:
I saw the largest herd of elephants yet there were at least 100 in the herd maybe more. They were so majestic walking in single file in the great Seregeti plains, highlighted against the horizon. The huge female elephant was in the lead with the tiny babies tucked into the group protectively. Elephants are my favorite animal in the wild. Sadly, like most animals in the world their numbers are declining. Once numbering in the millions, the African elephant population has dwindled to between 470,000 and 690,000 individuals according to a March 2007 estimate. A source called WWF Global revealed that in the 1980s alone, an average of 100,000 elephants have been poached every year for meat and tusks.
The Leopard:
I couldn't make it to see the Leopard closely. But I know that the leopard has just left recently from a nearby tree, I took several pictures of Gazelle hanged on a lower branch, leftover food for later.
Too many animals in a shallow intermittent river, the swamp party:
I come across near a river just before I left and here I see several elephants out enjoying a drink. To the left I saw Rhinos, buffaloes, elephant Gazelles, all coming to a pool party. The river is a happening place, and I see lots of hippos semi-submerged in the fresh water. On the banks I see the crocodile basking; and the birds cleaning-up any leftover while singing with such a melody above a live audience. Beyond the swamp I passed a large number of Thompon's Gazelle, grazing in huge herds of more than 200 Gazelles in each herd.
Tricks in the Serengeti:
Sadly, the Serengeti doesn't always live up to its potential. It's easy to end up with a herd of vehicles around you, destroying any sense of wilderness. It's tempting to choose to rush around on dusty, corrugated roads with little time to stop. It's also easy to simply miss the migration, which isn't nearly as predictable these days as many will tell you. Because of this, planning a safari here can be complicated; one needs to study and have a guide to choose the right camps at the right time of year.
Proposed bitumen road through the Serengeti: assault to a priceless natural heritage:
I noticed with my Nokia E-71, the existing road generally traversing in a North-Westerly direction along similar plain landscapes that generally vary in elevation from 1200 to 1700 m a.s.l. The majority of the existing road in the Serengeti is a gravel wearing course, and an earth road at few sections. The road has several defects in its entire route such as potholes; ruts, local depressions and surface erosion have washed out the gravels and accumulated on the shoulder. I have learned that the condition of the road is threatening the safety of the tourist; but however many suggest that upgrading of this road will greatly terrorize the wild life much higher. In addition to upgrading of this road to bitumen standard, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is proposing a commercial route cutting across the park itself that will connect the Coast of Tanzania and Lake Victoria basin.
However it becomes a threat to The Serengeti-Maasai Mara Ecosystem, many suggest this highway as proposed would be devastating; debate continued with in the activists, the scientific community and the public on social media; terrified to lose, the Serengeti Migration – the last of its kind in the world. There is a Facebook group called ’’STOP THE SERENGETI HIGHWAY’’ which already has about 60,000 Likes.
Zebra:
It's hard to say goodbye to this place. One last check-in before I left Serengeti, I saw a Zebra crossing the gravel wearing course and I slowed down so that the Zebra could cross in peace.
“I asked the Zebra,
are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on and on and on he went.
I’ll never ask a zebra about stripes...again.” Shel Silverstein.
But hey, it was all good-definitely on my list of extraordinary Outer Space.
This is the first question I asked myself when I first enter the Serengeti National Park back in 2011. I believe in recent human 'development' we dispossessed a large amount of biodiversity that we rarely see now in the national parks.
I keep on asking myself, how many more have been lost extinct without leaving relics in geological time and space. It’s very hard to know how much new species that we had throughout the life of our planet. So, if we don’t know how much there is to begin with, we don’t know exactly how much we’re losing. Surprisingly, science has a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are/were on Earth. I stopped asking, because I know I am hard-wired to feel at peace when I am in the countryside.
It’s obvious that there is something erroneous constantly happening in the biodiversity with regard to human development. Study shows that the rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current extinction challenge is one for which a single species - ours - appears to be almost entirely responsible. We have destructed an impulsive sustainable world and replaced it with an indefensible world of concrete, bitumen, metals and alloys. The Serengeti is the last remaining phenomenon place of Creation, Evolution, and the meaning of Life. Here is how I see it:
The Greater Serengeti ecosystem:
The name, Serengeti, comes from the Maasai, meaning "endless plains". The Serengeti National Park itself covers about 15,000km² of mostly flat or gently rolling grasslands, interspersed with the occasional rock outcrops, or kopjes. But this is just the centre of a whole ecosystem which covers more than double that area, and includes Grumeti Reserve, Ikorongo Game Reserve, Loliondo Controlled Area, Maswa Game Reserve, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and also Kenya's relatively small Maasai Mara Game Reserve. This combined area is often referred to as the Greater Serengeti area, or the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Serengeti is Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed a 7th world wide wonder. Because of the volcanic soils on the plains, grass grows incredibly quickly but there are almost no trees.
The Serengeti Migration:
Also known as the Serengeti wildebeest migration. It is the movement of vast numbers (in millions) of the Serengeti's wildebeest, accompanied by hundred thousands of zebra, and vast numbers of Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, eland and impala. These move in an annual pattern which is fairly predictable. They migrating throughout the year, constantly seeking fresh grazing and, it's now thought, better quality water. The precise timing of the Serengeti wildebeest migration is entirely dependent upon the rainfall patterns each year.
I didn't notice high mountain ranges and hills of significant rock in the Serengeti. I saw Granite outcrops; it seems that the volcanism in the region is plutonic, due to this a significant formation must had crystallized under the surface. When it is exposed by erosion, it forms the gorgeous isolated granitic-domes. Later I found out that they are the late Precambrian outcrops of granitic gneisses and quartzite project from the surface as inselbergs. This Serengeti Granitic Domes are characterized by boulders of polygonal stature, which are grayish in color but turned to white due to weathering by sun and rain. They are locally called kopjes
During my 2-days stay in the Great Serengeti I have studied two types of soil formations which are easily recognizable along the route corridor.
The first ones are the residual soils, which are the minor soil types covering some portion of the Serengeti; they are mostly derived from the in-situ weathering and decomposition of volcanic rocks; these soils are mostly reddish brown gravelly or silty clay soils grading into hard rock; the reddish varieties are called Laterite. They are located along the hill foots of the domes, and also in the top flat mesa.
The second ones are the alluvial soils, which are the transported soils, they are predominant in the Serengeti. They are the underlying soils and materials of the Serengeti plains which comprised of volcanic ash derived from a number of local volcanoes such as the Ngorogoro caldera.These are thick, whitish silty Sandy soils with minor light brown gravelly or sandy variety. They are mostly occurring over low flat lying areas. These soils when located in localized sag areas forms the dark and grey silty clay soils which are known as the Black Cotton soils, they abundantly collect water and irrigate the biodiversity.
There are so many different species in the Serengeti that this list could go on forever. It is very interesting to see the wide variety of animals doing their everyday jobs centered on surviving. It is much harder to spot carnivores than herbivores in the Serengeti, and because of the huge number, the animals can be fairly spread out. It seems that the Carnivorous dictate the Serengeti in the night than in the day.
Serengeti is not that exciting until when I came upon the grande finale! Near the road was a pride of lions taking nap, after enjoying their freshly killed gazelle. They didn’t pay any mind as I stay close and taking pictures only a mere 10 meter away. I noticed one of the female lion had a radio collar on the neck, this is an important tool used in the Serengeti to monitor the state of the lion population.
I saw the largest herd of elephants yet there were at least 100 in the herd maybe more. They were so majestic walking in single file in the great Seregeti plains, highlighted against the horizon. The huge female elephant was in the lead with the tiny babies tucked into the group protectively. Elephants are my favorite animal in the wild. Sadly, like most animals in the world their numbers are declining. Once numbering in the millions, the African elephant population has dwindled to between 470,000 and 690,000 individuals according to a March 2007 estimate. A source called WWF Global revealed that in the 1980s alone, an average of 100,000 elephants have been poached every year for meat and tusks.
I couldn't make it to see the Leopard closely. But I know that the leopard has just left recently from a nearby tree, I took several pictures of Gazelle hanged on a lower branch, leftover food for later.
I come across near a river just before I left and here I see several elephants out enjoying a drink. To the left I saw Rhinos, buffaloes, elephant Gazelles, all coming to a pool party. The river is a happening place, and I see lots of hippos semi-submerged in the fresh water. On the banks I see the crocodile basking; and the birds cleaning-up any leftover while singing with such a melody above a live audience. Beyond the swamp I passed a large number of Thompon's Gazelle, grazing in huge herds of more than 200 Gazelles in each herd.
Sadly, the Serengeti doesn't always live up to its potential. It's easy to end up with a herd of vehicles around you, destroying any sense of wilderness. It's tempting to choose to rush around on dusty, corrugated roads with little time to stop. It's also easy to simply miss the migration, which isn't nearly as predictable these days as many will tell you. Because of this, planning a safari here can be complicated; one needs to study and have a guide to choose the right camps at the right time of year.
I noticed with my Nokia E-71, the existing road generally traversing in a North-Westerly direction along similar plain landscapes that generally vary in elevation from 1200 to 1700 m a.s.l. The majority of the existing road in the Serengeti is a gravel wearing course, and an earth road at few sections. The road has several defects in its entire route such as potholes; ruts, local depressions and surface erosion have washed out the gravels and accumulated on the shoulder. I have learned that the condition of the road is threatening the safety of the tourist; but however many suggest that upgrading of this road will greatly terrorize the wild life much higher. In addition to upgrading of this road to bitumen standard, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is proposing a commercial route cutting across the park itself that will connect the Coast of Tanzania and Lake Victoria basin.
However it becomes a threat to The Serengeti-Maasai Mara Ecosystem, many suggest this highway as proposed would be devastating; debate continued with in the activists, the scientific community and the public on social media; terrified to lose, the Serengeti Migration – the last of its kind in the world. There is a Facebook group called ’’STOP THE SERENGETI HIGHWAY’’ which already has about 60,000 Likes.
Zebra:
It's hard to say goodbye to this place. One last check-in before I left Serengeti, I saw a Zebra crossing the gravel wearing course and I slowed down so that the Zebra could cross in peace.
are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on and on and on he went.
I’ll never ask a zebra about stripes...again.” Shel Silverstein.
But hey, it was all good-definitely on my list of extraordinary Outer Space.
1 comment:
Interesting facts.
Post a Comment