GORILLA TOUR | UGANDA SAFARIS | RWANDA SAFARIS | HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SITEMAP |
SAFARI CATEGORIES
SAFARI LODGES
The large mammal populations have suffered badly at the hands of poachers but when you arrive at Akagera, you expect the worst, but you will be surprised to see how much wildlife that is still there. The populations of all large mammals are severely depleted in comparison with ten years ago, while a few high-profile species, if not already locally extinct, however most large mammals are still sufficiently numerous to form a viable breeding population; in addition, with adequate protection, these members are likely to be supplemented by animals crossing into the park from unprotected parts of neighboring Tanzania which still support plenty of big game.
These species include the African wild dog, perhaps a victim not of poaching, but of a canine plague which would have been introduced into the population through contact with domestic dogs. The larger predators, spotted hyena and leopard are still around, but infrequently observed.
Preceding to 1994, the park supported an estimated 250 individuals of lions, including a couple of prides that were uniquely adapted in the swamps, and others specialized in climbing trees. During the civil war, large numbers of lion were hunted out by the army to protect the presidential cattle herds; more recently they have been poisoned by cattle herders living outside the park. After a few years without any confirmed sightings, a female with three cubs was observed in the north of the park. More recent published estimates have put the population from 15 to 60 individuals, but local sources have fewer estimates and have placed the total number of resident lions at less than 10. That said, given the tenacity of this regal feline, and its tendency to wander long distances, it is one species that would naturally replenish itself through individuals crossing over Tanzania.
Smaller predators are well represented. Most likely to be encountered by day are various mongooses (we saw dwarf, banded and black-tailed mongooses), while at night there is a chance of coming across viverrids such as the lithe, heavily spotted and somewhat cat-like genet, and the bulkier black-masked civet. Also present, but rarely seen, are the handsome spotted several cat and the dog-like side-striped jackal.
One of the most common terrestrial mammals is the buffalo and, while the population is nowhere near the estimated 8,000 that roamed the park in the 1980s, it is probably still measurable in thousands. Hippo, too, are present in impressive numbers: on some of the lakes there must be at least a dozen pods of up to 50 animals, and the total population probably exceeds, 1,000. The handsome impala is probably the most common and habitat-tolerant large mammal in the park and of the 11 antelope species which occur in Akagera, only the aquatic situnga is immediately endangered and unlikely to be seen by visitors. Small herds of Burchell’s zebra are regularly encountered in open areas.
Also very common are three savannah primates: the dark, heavily built olive baboon, the smaller and more agile vervet monkey, and the tiny wide-eyed bush bay. The forest-dwelling silver monkey, although listed for Akagera, is probably now very rare, possibly even locally extinct, due to habitat loss following the reduction in the park’s area. For the same reason, it is debatable whether Africa’s largest swine, the giant forest hog, still occurs in Akagera. The smaller bush pig, a secretive nocturnal spices, is present but rarely encountered, while the diurnal warthog is very common and often seen.
In 1957, Akagera became the recipient of Africa’s first black rhino translocation, when a herd comprising five females and one male was flown in from the bordering Karagwe region of Tanzania, and was supplemented by another male a year later. The rhino prospered in the dense bush and by the early 1970s had colonized most of the park-one individual is said to have strayed south almost of the park – one individual is said to have strayed south almost as far as the Rusumo Falls. After then came the wholesale rhino poaching of the 1980s, by the end of that decade no more than a dozen individuals survived, and it was long thought that the remainder were shot in the civil war.
Although the African elephant used to occur naturally in Akagera, the last recorded sighting of the original population was on the shores of Lake Mihindi in 1961. The present-day herd is descended from a group of 26 youngsters that was translocated to Akagera in 1975, part of an operation to clear all the elephants from the increasingly densely populated Bugesera Plains to the south of Kigali. Up to 100 adult elephants were shot in the process
Akagera is the most important ornithological site in Rwanda with a checklist of 550 species recorded before its area was reduced in 1977 and now, they are probably closer to 525 species. In addition to being the best place in Rwanda to see savannah birds and raptors, Akagera is as rich in water birds as anywhere in East Africa, and one of the few places where papyrus
Among the more colorful and common of the savannah birds are the gorgeous lilac-breasted roller, black-headed gonolek, little bee-eater, Heuglin’s robin-chat and brown parrot. The comical grey hornbill which are less colorful but impressive and noisy bare-faced go-away bird. The riparian woodland around the lakes hosts a number of specialized species, of which Ross’s turaco, a bright-purple, jay-sized bird with a distinctive yellow mask, is the most striking.
A notable future of Akagera’s avifauna is the species such as the crested barbet, Arnot’s chat and Souza’s shrike, all of which is linked with the brachystegia woodland of southern Tanzania and further south, but has colonized the mixed woodland of Akagera at the northernmost extent between Lake Victoria and the Albertine Rift.
The savannah of Akagera is one of the last places in Rwanda where a wide range of large raptors reside. White-backed and Ruppell’s griffon vultures soar high on the thermals, the beautiful bateleur eagle can be recognized by its waving flight pattern and red wing markings, while brown snake eagles and hooded vultures are often seen perching on bare branches.
Most of the savannah birds are primarily of interest to the dedicated birder, but it is difficult to image that anybody would be unmoved by the immense concentrations of water-associated birds that can be found on the lakes. Pelicans are common, as is the garishly decorated crowned crane, the odd little open-bill stork and the much larger and singularly grotesque marabou stork. Herons and egrets are particularly visible and well-presented, ranging from the immense goliath heron to the secretive black-capped night heron and reed-dwelling purple heron. The lakes also support a variety of smaller kingfishers and shorebirds, and a prodigious number of fish eagles, whose shrill duet ranks as one of the most evocative sounds of Africa.
On a more esoteric note, the papyrus swamps are an excellent place to look for a handful of birds restricted to this specific habitat: the stunning and highly vocal papyrus gonolek, as well as the more secretive and nondescript Caruther’s cistocal and white-winged warbler. Akagera used to be regarded as one of the best places in Africa to see the shoebill, an enormous and unmistakable slate-grey swamp-dweller.
The Nile crocodile, the world’s largest reptile and a survivor from the age of the dinosaurs, is abundant in the lakes. Some of the largest wild specimens you will encounter anywhere are to be found sunning themselves on the mud-banks of Akagera, their impressive mouths wide open until they slighter menacingly into the water at the approach of human intruders. Not unlike a miniature crocodile in appearance, the water monitor is a type of lizard which often grows to be more than a meter long and is common around the lakes, tending to crash noisily into the bush or water when disturbed. Smaller lizards are seen all over, the colorful rock agama, and a variety of snake are present but, as ever, very secretive.
|
Bwindi National Park Akagera National Park Congo National Parks |
|
Travel tips, Usefull travel websites and information |
Gorilla Tracking, Chimp Trek, Wildlife, Cultural and Mountain Hikes |
|
UGANDA SAFARI OFFERS Uganda Gorilla Tour(3) |
Adventure Trails is a member of:
