Category Social Sciences

Remember Pride Rock and the sun kissed majestic landscape in which Simba emerges as the true king? Who could forget the sweeping cliffs and deep gorge! The animators of the movie travelled to Kenya to discover a dramatic landscape for the film and they ended up in Hell’s Gate National Park.

Hell’s Gate is a comparatively smaller national park situated in a Rift Valley which is full of red cliffs. It also contains two volcanic plugs and hot springs. The Park has a varied wildlife. The big animals in the Pak include lions, leopards and cheetahs. There are more than 103 species of birds in the Park. It is also home to the rare lammergeier vultures.

Hell’s Gate National Park is also famous for safaris.

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In 1958, Joy and George Adamson, a naturalist couple came to Meru to reintroduce the orphan lioness Elsa into the wild. The book and film about this project became very popular and attracted the world’s attention to Meru. Since then, Meru National Park has remained an icon of the timeless beauty of the East African landscape.

Meru National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the whole of Africa. Due to the abundant rainfall it receives, Meru is full of tall grass and swamps. The Park is also home to diverse kinds of wildlife that include Grevy’s zebra, white rhinos, hippopotamuses, reticulated giraffes and lesser kudus.

The 1970s, and 80s were times of trouble for Meru. Poaching became rampant and the wildlife population came down significantly. The white rhinos were almost wiped out. However, a group of committed wardens turned around the situation. They improved the security system and this ensured an improvement in the wildlife population.

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The annual migration of western white-bearded wildebeests is one of the most spectacular wildlife events. At the onset of autumn, more than 1.5 million wildebeests embark on their journey along with gazelles and zebras along the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem and cross the Kenya-Tanzania border twice. These animals migrate in search of water and fresh grazing grounds.

Serengeti National Park is known across the globe for the abundance of wildlife and rich biodiversity.

The most popular animals among the tourists are known as the ‘big five’ – lion, African leopard, African bush elephant, eastern black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The Park also has a rich bird life; there are more than 500 species of birds in Serengeti.

The reptiles in the park include the Nile crocodile, leopard tortoise and African python.

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Chimpanzees are the main wildlife attraction at Mahale. The Mahale Mountains National Park is located on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The forests around the mountains are rich in wildlife.

Around 700 chimpanzees live here. In fact, the chimpanzees at Mahale are among the best studied in the world. These animals are used to the presence of humans observing them. It is one of the only two protected areas for chimpanzees in the country. Also, it is the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-exist.

The mountain rise steeply from the lakeshore and is filled with thick forests full of monkeys and birds. The monkey species include red monkeys and red-tailed monkeys. There are other animals too like ungulates, bushbucks and antelopes.

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Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. The highest peak of the Julian Alps, Mount Triglav lies right in the middle of the Park. The Park takes its name from Mount Triglav.

Triglav National Park is rich in medical plants. Almost 62 per cent of the Park is filled with 37 species that have various medicinal properties. They have been extensively studied by various ecologists. In order to conserve them, some of these plants are banned from being collected or used.

There are two major rivers in Triglav-Sava River and Soca River. There are many waterfalls in these rivers and their tributaries. Apart from this, there are several glacial lakes as well.

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Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is Spain’s first protected area; it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The vegetation in Ordesa varies according to the elevation of the specific region. At a height of 1,500-1,700 metres, there are extensive forests of beeches, Abies alba, pines, oaks, and a lesser extent of birches, ashes, and willows. Mountain pines dominate the area upto a height of 2000 metres.

Bucardo, a variety of wild goat was the most important species of Ordesa. Despite the conservation efforts, the species became extinct in 2000. There are other species such as the alpine marmot, boar and the Pyrenean desman. Ordesa is also home to birds like the golden eagle, the bearded vulture, the griffon vulture, hawks, and the royal owl.

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