Serengeti national park History
Serengeti national park History : The most renowned wildebeest migration occurs yearly between Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve. This is one of the unique live event that makes the park one of the most popular park not only in Tanzania but entire world. The wildebeest migration is when approximately one million wildebeest and hundreds of zebras traverse the Mara river from June to October. The park got its name from the locals, the name Serengeti comes from a Maasai phrase that means “open unending plains,” and the local Maasai called the region “Siringet,” which means “the spot where the land goes on forever.” The Serengeti history is dated back in the early 19th century. It took decades for the park to attain its park status after great efforts of the Tanzanian government.
Tanganyika’s government was pressed in the 1930s to develop a national park system in accordance with the Convention Relative to the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in their Natural State. In 1940, the region was designated as a national park, and in 1948, the Serengeti National Park Board of Trustees was established to oversee the park’s administration.
After an increase in lion hunting around Seronera, the British colonial authorities established the Serengeti national park as a wildlife reserve in 1921 with only 800 acres of land. Before the park was gazatted as wild reserve, the bush was used by the American and his companion as a hunting ground. They stayed for almost a month and killed approximately 50 lions at the area. The Serengeti national park history is dated back with the Maasai locals. The wide plains were first inhabited by the Maasai people, who utilized the territory to graze their animals for almost 200 years until Austrian Oscar Baumann, the first European explorer, reached the area in 1892. The entrance of the the German explorer was magical in that his caravan bust out of the Oldeani Highland Forest hence they found themselves at the rim of the great Ngorongoro crater. After seeing the unique and the largest broken caldera in the world, he explore the crater and later proceeded as he wanted to discover more around the area hence entering the current Serengeti national park. The locals who were pastoralists managed to share the endless plains with the wildlife at peace. The nature of their circular settlement locally fenced in tight security made their animals safer from the wildlife. Yes the locals used to hunt the predators as the way of scaring and safe guarding their animals. They also used to kill lions as a sign of cultural endorsement to warrior hood status. One had to kill a lion in order to be considered a great warrior in the community.
After some years in the status of wild reserve in small piece of land, Serengeti national park was gazette. The park was formally designated Serengeti national park in 1951 after the gazette area was expanded. The locals were relocated to Ngorongoro conservation Area till date where they share the conservation with the animals. In 1959, the British administration drove all Maasai people out of the park and relocated them to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Since its expansion, the Serengeti National Park is growing in popularity, thanks to Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael’s hard work and promotional efforts with their book and film Serengeti Shall Not Die. Serengeti Park is Tanzania’s oldest and best national park, contributing the most country’s tourism numbers and attracting more visitors to the Northern Tanzania safari circuit, which includes Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara national park and the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area.
Explorers and missionaries reported the Serengeti plains and the huge numbers of animals found there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Only little information were recorded until the late 1920s and early 1930s, when expeditions provided the first references to the huge wildebeest migrations, as well as the first pictures of the region. In 1930, a wildlife reserve covering 2,286 square kilometers was established in what is today the southern and eastern Serengeti. Sport hunting was permitted until 1937, after which all hunting activities were prohibited. The region was designated as a Protected Area in 1940, and the National Park was formed in 1951, including the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro highlands. The park headquarters were built on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater.
After its creation in 1951, the park was included to UNESCO’s list of world historic sites in 1981. It has been voted among the natural wonders of the world as well as the natural wonders of Africa. The park sits in a total land area of 14,763 square kilometers making it one of the largest national park not only in Tanzania but entire Africa. The park inhabits around 35 plain animal species and over 350 birds, including both raptors and other birds. The park hosts the oldest eco-system which is untouched in the world. It also hosts the largest ecosystem in the entire world called the Mara-serengeti ecosystem.
Even though the park is now well-known for its large, massive Elephants, the park did not have Elephants for the previous 30 years until increased pressure from the community surrounding the park that paved the way for unsettled Elephants to come and take refuge at the park, resulting in the Elephants’ introduction. The population of the Elephants has grown dramatically making it a success to the park. Till date now the park boasts with a large number of Elephants, it also inhabits all the African Big 5 (Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffaloes and Rhinos) The wild dogs used to be available at the park till the rabis came and killed all now the wild dogs are extinct from the great Serengeti national park.
The Serengeti national park history is a remarkable information that has helped the guests to now how far the transformation of the great Serengeti has gone through. You will adhere to all the park rules and regulations so as to keep the protection and conservation of the park to continue. Together we can preserve the beautiful scenery of Serengeti national park for the next future generation.
