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Understanding Ruaha's Wildlife and Environment
Ruaha National Park - Contents Table
Wildlife of Ruaha:
Only two words can define the wildlife at Ruaha National Park: wild and beautiful. Many people in the tourism industry say that the southern parks and reserves of Tanzania that includes the Selous Game Reserve are for seasoned wildlife watchers because they are not plains game: meaning that you need to really drive around to look for animals because of the bush and miombo vegetation but our experience and thinking reveals quite the opposite. One morning after getting up at 7.30, having had a nice breakfast and setting of at a leisurely pace when just 100 meters from our accommodation we encountered a huge pack of the African hunting dogs also rightfully called the painted dog; by 9.00 am we had seen (among others) as in the days before, the Lesser and Greater Kudu, the Silver Back Jackal and Pelicans on trees. An hour later we saw an amazing pride of 18 hungry lions waiting to take their chance by crossing the river at the Msembe juncture to take on couple of zebras. This description is a sample wildlife expedition in the everyday life of the Ruaha National Park. Apart from the game viewing by vehicle, the Tanzania Park authorities have recently authorized the ability for visitors to undertake an all day walking safari. This is done with the assistance of an armed ranger who accompanies you on the trip. It gives visitors the opportunity to explore the African wild on foot while creating a personalized experience of viewing animals that normally shy away from humans like the leopards, who spent much of their time on acacia trees.
Apart from the well-known animals like the Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Hyena's and Zebra's, other unique animals visitors to Ruaha should look out for are:
• The African Hunting Dog: They are also called the Painted Dog because of their beautiful mixed back, white, brown and mustard colors; they are sometimes incorrectly also referred to as wild dogs. They are passive in nature but that does not mean they will not retaliate when harassed or bothered. Surprisingly they are not related to the common domesticated dog. They live together in packs of between 6 and 20 and are always on the move. (If you want to take picture of the hunting dog make certain you camera is ready to go.) The African hunting dog is nomadic for nine months of the year, and for three months of the year, they reduce their movements to a home range. Last but not least, important awareness information on the African Hunting Dog is that this beautiful creature early on the century was looked at as vermin and detrimental to livestock rearing thus many were exterminated unfairly. One should consider themselves very lucky if they get the opportunity to view or watch this beautiful creature in action.
• Lesser and Greater Kudu: These beautiful antelopes are easily seen in Ruaha National Park. They can be shy and are startled with the approach of anything it feels threatening. The Lesser and Greater Kudus are appropriately referred to because of their size of the body. The Greater Kudu's elegant strut, along with its beautiful spiraled horns and white stripes makes them a photographer's prized picture. Unlike young male Impalas, who use their horns for fighting, Kudu's hardly fight. When visiting Ruaha during the dry season, pay close attention to the brown Miombo woodlands, which provides a nice camouflage for the Kudus lurking around.
Vegetation, Landscape and Terrain of Ruaha:
As you spend a few days in Ruaha National Park you will notice the diversity of the vegetation growth and terrain structure, especially during the dry season when the water levels of the Great Ruaha River has receded exposing the rocky river bed and reducing the vegetation to a different color and shape. Ruaha has a mixture of savannah plains grass, acacia trees, miombo woodlands, and submontane forest zone, some of which are back dropped against rolling plains, rock outcrops or Kopjes, and hilly forests; there are also over 1600 documented species of flowering and non-flowering plant life which adds value to visitors who want to focus on the botany of the region.
The combination of the vegetation and terrain creates a picturesque view during the sunrises and sunsets especially at accommodations like Ruaha River Lodge, which overlooks the east. Another example would be driving from the Jongomeru region coming back to the main bridge you can see the harmonious colors of nature being displayed on the landscape from the southern hillside overlooking the Ruaha River. At places where the water has not dried up, you can see lush green grass rubbing earth against the dry riverbeds with waterbucks, lesser and greater Kudu's, and elephants near the area.
Rivers of Ruaha:
Ruaha National Park has two main categories of rivers: flowing permanent arteries of the Ruaha River and its seasonal tributaries and rivers of white sand (also known as sand rivers) during the dry season. For many visiting Ruaha National Park, a sand river appears to be a unique concept.
The main rivers in the Ruaha ecosystem appear in two opposite directions: the Njombe River located completely on the northern section runs through Rungwa Game Reserve and a section of its tributary spurs into Ruaha National Park. The Great Ruaha Rivers runs on the southern section of Ruaha National Park, flowing eastwards and joining Njombe and Rufiji River, and dumping itself on the Indian Ocean.
The two main sand rivers of Ruaha National Park are Mdonya and Mwagusi Sand River. Although these two rivers are white sand beds and carry no fishes, they perform as inlets carrying rainwater into the Ruaha during the rainy season. During the dry season, even though the river has no water on the surface, there is buildup of water close to the surface of the riverbed, promoted by existence of granite mineral, which dams the water together. Our guides will often explain how the elephants are seen busy digging up on the sand rivers trying to get to the water; the appearance of other animals on the sand river is very common too.
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