Animals & Plants

The Serengeti National Park is the „benchmark“ of all things in the wildlife landscape of Tanzania. It is a premier safari destination for travellers from all over the world. Beyond the vast grassy areas, it is above all a variety of trees that give the scenery a typically African flair.

We have been a supporter of the Serengeti De-Snaring Project since the early days and are happy to share yet another successful update in support of wildlife conservation in Tanzania. The De-Snaring Project is a joint conservation initiative by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, Serengeti National Park (SENAPA), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and local tour operators such as us, Tanzania-Experience.

Since the beginning of 2017, poachers in the Serengeti have a new opponent: the Serengeti De-Snaring Teams. In teams of eight they set out to detect and remove illegal wire-snares from the national park and surrounding areas. The project is a joint initiative by the Frankfurt Zoological Society and TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks) and SENAPA (Serengeti National Park).

When you think of poaching on the African continent you will most likely think of elephants and rhinos being slaughtered for their tusks and horns to be illegally traded for vast sums of money. Poaching is one of the biggest concerns among the conservation community aiming to ensure the survival of endangered species such as the rhino.

Right in front of our operations office, there stands a large tree. Letting your imagination kick in, it could even look like a wild Christmas tree. Round balls hang from the branches, beige, green and brown in colour. Looking closely, you will see that these are birds’ nests, weaver birds to be exact. This family of sparrow-like birds is known throughout Sub-Saharan Africa for its impressive nest building skills.

A cat in a tree, you’ve seen it before and if it wasn’t your house cat – let’s face it, how many city cats go on adventures these days – it’s still a common sight in children’s books. And even your house cat’s wild relatives in Africa climb up the scratchy bark without problems. Leopards that is! Tree climbing lions on the other hand have long been considered very rare.

Few conservationists have had such a lasting and public relationship with the Serengeti as Bernhard and Michael Grzimek. You might have heard about father-and-son team and their award-winning documentary “The Serengeti Shall Not Die” or seen a faded picture of their zebra-striped Dornier aircraft. Let’s take a closer look at the men who counted the wildebeests.

Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park is known for its large elephant populations. One of the reasons they love it here so much, are the many baobab trees scattered across the park. The trees’ bark and the inside of the trunk act like a sponge and soak up water. During the dry season, the gentle giants nibble on bark and trunk to quench their thirst. Over the years, their hearty appetite hollows the tree!

Tarangire National Park, about a two-hours’ drive from the safari-capital Arusha in northern Tanzania, is known for its large herds of elephants. Going on a game drive in Tarangire, even if it’s just for a quick day trip, you are bound to spot herds of the gentle giants roaming between iconic Baobab trees.

Closing your eyes in the wild and lying spread-eagle worry-free, might get you into deadly trouble quite quickly. That’s why wild animals developed clever strategies to find the sleep they need. However, there are exceptions. Or have you seen a sleeping elephant while out and about on safari? We’ll tell you why not!   As a rule of thumb: the higher up in the food chain an animal finds itself, the deeper the sleep it will find.