- Tsavo East National Park
Infobox_protected_area | name = Tsavo East National Park
iucn_category = II
caption = Location of Tsavo National Parks
locator_x = 170
locator_y = 125
location =Kenya
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 2
lat_minutes = 46
lat_seconds = 43
lat_direction = S
long_degrees = 38
long_minutes = 46
long_seconds = 18
long_direction = E
area = 11,747 km²
established =1948
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =Kenya Wildlife Service Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in
Kenya at 11,747 square kilometers. Opened in April of1948 , it is located near the village ofVoi in theTaita District ofCoast Province . The park is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and arailway . Named for theTsavo River , which flows west to east through thenational park , it borders theChyulu Hills National Park , and theMkomazi Game Reserve inTanzania .Geography
The park can be accessed by three main gates, from Voi through the Manyani gate, from
Mombasa through the Bachuma gate or fromMalindi through the Sala gate. There are also several airstrips in the park that allow chartered light planes. Inside the park, the Athi and Tsavo rivers converge to form the Galana River. Most of the park consists of semi-arid grasslands andsavanna . It is considered one of the world's biodiversity strongholds, and its popularity is mostly due to the vast amounts of diverse wildlife that can be seen. The park also offers camping and several geographical points of interest.The slightly larger "Tsavo East" is generally flat, with dry
plain s across which theGalana River flows. Other features include theYatta Plateau andLugards Falls . Wildlife in Tsavo East includesblack rhino s andhirola antelope s.Tsavo West National Park is moremountain ous and wetter than its counterpart, withswamp s,Lake Jipe and theMzima Springs . It is known forbirdlife and for its largemammal s. It is also home to a black rhino sanctuary.Major Attractions
Mudanda Rock
The Mudanda Rock is a 1.6 km
inselberg of stratified rock that acts as a water catchment that supplies a natural dam below. It offers an excellent vantage point for the hundreds of elephants and other wildlife that come to drink during the dry season.Yatta Plateau
The Yatta Plateau, the world's longest
lava flow , runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi river. Its 290 km length was formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk Mountain.Lugard Falls
Lugard Falls, named after
Frederick Lugard , is actually a series of rapids on the Galana river.Aruba Dam
Aruba Dam was built in 1952 across the Voi river. The reservoir created by the dam attracts many animals and water birds.
Mammals
Tsavo East National Park is one of the world's largest game reserves, providing undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals. A comprehensive list of the animal types found in Tsavo East Park includes the
aardwolf ,yellow baboon ,bat ,cape buffalo ,bushbaby ,bushbuck ,caracal ,African wildcat ,cheetah ,African Civet ,dik-dik ,African hunting dog ,African dormouse ,Blue Duiker ,bush duiker ,red duiker , eland,African elephant ,bat-eared fox ,greater galago ,gazelle , large-spotted genet,small-spotted genet ,gerenuk ,giraffe ,African hare ,springhare ,Coke hartebeest ,hunter hartebeest ,East African hedgehog ,spotted hyaena ,striped hyaena , rock hyrax, tree hyrax,impala ,black-backed jackal ,side-striped jackal ,klipspringer ,Lesser Kudu ,leopard ,lion ,banded mongoose ,dwarf mongoose ,large grey mongoose , marsh mongoose,slender mongoose , white-tailed mongoose,black faced vervet monkey ,Sykes's monkey , fringe-eared oryx,clawless otter ,ground pangolin ,crested porcupine ,cane rat ,giant rat ,naked mole rat ,ratel ,bohor reedbuck ,black rhinoceros ,serval ,spectacled elephant shrew ,bush squirrel ,East African red squirrel ,striped ground squirrel , unstriped ground squirrel,ibex ,suni ,warthog ,waterbuck , common zebra, and Grevy's zebra.Birds
Over 500 bird species have been recorded in the area, including
ostrich es,kestrel s,buzzard s,starling s,weaver bird s,kingfisher s,hornbill s,secretary bird s, andheron s.External links
* [http://www.kws.org/tsavo-east.html Kenya Wildlife Service page for Tsavo East National Park]
*World Database on Protected Areas: [http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/wdbpa/sitedetails.cfm?siteid=752&level=nat Tsavo East National Park]
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