farm | food | videos | price | information | history

4179View
21m 7sLenght
13Rating

Visit http://www.nature-explored.com for more videos, photos and information about this and other Parks and Game Reserves, and also the latest threats from Ivory Poaching. Safari in Ruaha National Park in Tanzania during late August 2011. This is mid way through the Dry season. The Great Ruaha River is still flowing slowly but will soon stop due to vast amounts of over abstraction of water in the catchment area by rice farmers. Prior to 1993 the River flowed ALL YEAR and never ever dried up. After the expansion of Rice Farming it started to dry up every year for longer and longer periods. In 2010-2011 It was not flowing in sections from October to Mid March, that's five and a half Months. Despite various reports and recommendations to alleviate the problem by regulating water off take in the dry season, and still allow rice farming, very little is being done and huge amounts of water are wasted. The environment is seriously degraded as the wildlife depends on the river in the dry season. At the Rio +10 Conference The Govt said they would restore flow by 2010; they only managed it ONE year. This is the most beautiful park of the many we have visited and the wildlife is truly amazing. Never seen so many lions, buffalo, kudu, impala and elephants. It needs protecting from greedy business interests. If you are thinking of going then go soon - there has been a MASSIVE increase in IVORY POACHING throughout Africa in the last few years. Current estimates suggest 35000 elephants were killed in 2012 thanks to Increased demand from China and the Far East. This is slaughter on a vast scale and elephant numbers are in fee fall towards extinction. More information on how you can help stop it is on my website.