The Sidney herald., 1956-11-08

Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park In
East Africa is one of the few
remaining places in the world
where spectacular numbers OF
wild animals can be seen in their
natural state, relatively undis-
turbed by man and his destruc-
tive touch
This park covers 1890 square
miles, and is one of the largest
national parks in the world. Dur
ing the spring migration, visitors
often can e as many as one
million animals at a time from a
single vantage point. Lions, ze-
bras, gazelles, giraffes, elephants,
Glands, jackals, rhinocerous, chez
tabs and many, many others
swarm over the grasslands.
This natural habitat is at pres
ent threatened by local African
elements who want to split this
park irreparably, turning much of
the area over to local native
tribes for grazing their cattle and
goats. Conservationists of many
countries are anxiously awaiting
the outcome of a meeting in Tan
ganyika, East Africa, on this
subject early in December.
Visitors to this amazing area
say the spectacle of the spring
m%igrations of animals across the
wide plains is beyond belief. The
animals themselves pay little at
tention to vehicles, and you can
drive relatively close to some of
them a. they go about their nor
NAL pursuits. Before your eyes
unfold constantly changing pic
lures of birth and death and in
terliving normal to these wild res-
idents.
In one area you can watch a
wildebeeste calf being born. I'M
mediately after birth the huge
bulls gather around protectively,
their wide curved horns lowered
as they gently nudge the shaky
calf to his feet. Within moments
the newest arrival is wobblingIy
galIoping off with the rest of the
herd, a large bull or two keep
ing a watchful eye on his prog
ress. Or a brand new zebra, his
head just about reaching your
belt buckle, may come over to
see what you r doing. His
memory is extremely short, and
he soon decides you must be his
mother and trots docily along at
your heels.
Close by is a pride or family
of lions, the cubs greedily feed
ing on a gazelle the parents have
brought in. Your jeep comes upon
grazing herd of giraffes. The
noise startles these shy creatures
and they take to their heels Your
jeep is travelling 40 miles an
hour, and these long-legged beau
ties pull away from you without
apparent effort, the rocking mo-
ton absurdly graceful. Tiny ga
zelles bound all over the land
scape, jumping and c~avorting in
pure JOY of life.
As opposed to these millions of
residents, there are
approximately 1400 to 1900 fami-
les Hf Nasal tribesmen living
IN and around the Serengeti
Poaching by these natives
S extensive in the Ngoro Ngoro
,rater of the park. Up to 500
tails have been found
n a single poacher's camp, and
published reports of the annual
ooachers' kill in the region runs
o nearly half a million animals.
But more serious damage is
lone by tree clearing and over
grazing. The removal of what
iew trees and little brush there
s for use in homes and fences
permits serious erosion to start.
~Overgrazing has already COM
ruined much of the land
where the Nasal run their hum
Ireds of thousands of scrawny !:
md diseased cattle. Wherever !
he thin perennial grass cover
lolding the soil is destroyed, wind
nd water erosion proceed rap I,
dly. Often segments of the origi- ,
al turf are seen standing on !
a foot OF more high, =
he soil having been eroded away :
kept where held by the roots. =
There Is an excellent COMPARE
on between the land grazed by 3
omestic stock and that where =
here are only the wild animals. !
he western and part OF the :
orthern edge of the plains are :
'etse fly country; natives dread =
lis carrier of sleeping sickness '