DESTINATION TANZANIA
Discovering the undiscovered in
Ruaha National Park S
ound travels through the air at a rate of 332 metres per second, but in the hot, dusty Tanzanian bush, it seems to move much faster. The gruff barks of baboons combine forces with the urgent snorts of impala to create a sonic signpost leading us to a clearing in the thickets. There sits a leopard, its jaws clinging to the neck of an impala, still breathing and caught only seconds before. The leopard’s glassy eyes dart nervously from right to left as he attempts - and ultimately fails - to safeguard his prey. Two yapping black-backed jackals drive him away, and a pride of lions that, like us, has been drawn to the commotion, moves in to steal the feast. It is true, lions have a good foothold in Ruaha, the largest National Park in East Africa; 10% of Africa’s lion population are believed to roam here. The sprawling wilderness, encompassing rivers, mountains, acacia forest and swampland is also home to a myriad of predators and one of the biggest elephant gatherings on the continent.
60
NG'AALI
DECEMBER 2020 - FEBRUARY 2021
