Tanzania wildlife
Tanzania wildlife
Tanzania wildlife takes over 3 quarters of the total tourist attraction with over ten national parks and game reserves. Tanzania has been recognized as the best wildlife viewing destination in the whole world winning awards globally.
The country in habits over 20% of the total African mammal population across its prominent 17 national parks like Serengeti national park, Tarangire, Lake Manyara among others, conservation areas of Ngorongoro, Conservation Area, Game reserves like Selous game reserve mention but a few.
Tanzania protected areas cover over 42,000 square kilometers taking almost 30% of the country total land area. Its from this picture that Tanzania is regarded as prime game viewing country where one can never be disappointed during his or her trip to Tanzania.
Tanzania is much more famous for the wildebeest migration hence making many to think the country only has wildebeest yet Tanzania wildlife is beyond that. The country has all the big 5 animals of Africa those are:
Lions
Almost in all National parks of Tanzania lions are easily seen at all times, the Tanzania wildlife highlights mostly the king of the jungle as the easiest seen animal in the park when visiting Tanzania compared to any other African Country.
Buffalos
Which are almost distributed all over the protected areas of Tanzania, the Cape Buffalos leave in groups called herds with the leader. Cape buffalos are commonly seen in groups of more than 10 and leave near the small water pools or salty water where they like swimming in and cover themselves with much mud to regulate there heat loss from the body.
Elephants
Selous and Tarangire are the best parks if one wants to see the largest groups of huge African Elephants. These parks have troops of Elephants across the parks easily seen at any time of the day. It has been on record in Africa that Tarangire national park is the only park that the oldest Elephant gave birth to the twin baby Elephants and they were all healthy and grew up all well.
No one can talk about Tanzania wildlife without mentioning the gift of African Elephants though the number was affected by poaching in early 2000’s now they are stabilizing with little incidences of poaching in the country
Rhinoceros
This is the most affected of all the big five and Tanzania wildlife, the population of Rhinos have reduced dramatically. Tanzania hosts both black rhinos found in Ngorongoro conservation Area and the white Rhinos found on other national parks. Rhinos are hardly cited during your trip to Tanzania but the country has more Rhinos across its protected areas.
Leopards
Finally but not the list in the African Big 5 is the Leopards, the shiest but deadly among all the big 5. You need to be having an experienced driver guide for you to chance this animal, leopards move individually unless mating that is when you get them paired. The young ones always move with the mothers till they grow up fully. Their primary food are the different small species of Antelopes, warthogs and other small animals which they can kill and carry up to the tree where the leopard will enjoy its meal from.
Leopards are more muscular than any other big cat and they can carry prey doubling its weight to the tree.
Tanzania wildlife does not only cover the above Big 5 but has other animals both grazers and predators like
Wildebeest
These is most famous especially in Serengeti where they migrate every year across the country of Tanzania to Kenya. Wildebeest move in groups of 1000’s or even millions as the graze together, they are mostly the primary targets for the lions.
Tanzania wildebeest migration is distributed to all protected areas and its funny that they maintain their cycle across all the protected areas for example if its calving season in January to February all wildebeest across the protected areas are giving birth.
Cheetahs
These are the simplest of all the cat family animals, it can even be kept at home and Cheetahs are very many and easily seen in Tanzania especially in Serengeti national park, Selous game reserve and Tarangire national park.
Chimpanzee and other primates
Tanzania also inhabits the large number of Chimpanzees and other primates. Most guests when talking about Chimpanzees only think of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo but Tanzania has the oldest habituated Chimpanzees in Africa.
Godwill did great work in Gombe stream national park where she did all her research and habituated Chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking can be done in the two national parks of Tanzania which are located in the remote areas at the border along the forest and edges of Lake Tanganyika. Its only that these parks have poor accessibility by guests since no direct route is there to take you up to the park but use a boat at Lake Tanganyika.
Other primates in Tanzania are Olive Baboons, monkeys and others. Other Tanzania wildlife include more than 10 species of Antelopes these include Kobs, Gazelles, Topis, Kundu, bushbuck, oribi and others.
