Safari Notes

Before the wars and instability that Sudan has known since its 'independence'  from the British and then the Egyptians, the country must have had a fascinating, abundant and  a variety of wildlife. With its vast green plains, rivers and swamps - elephants, rhinos, lions, buffaloes, leopards, cheetahs, birds and many other animals, must have roamed in many parts of the country.  Presently, not many wild animals are left in the North; Southern Sudan, still has abundant wildlife. The deep swamps of the Sudd, is abundant with wildlife like the white-eared kob and Nile lechwe (Kobus megaceros). Nobody seems to know the true numbers and distribution of Sudan's wildlife. With the country now settling down, both in the North and the South - studies can now be undertaken on this. Today, there are four known national parks in the Sudan : Dinder , Nimule, Southern and Sanganeb ; Sanganeb and Dungonab on the Red Sea, are said to contain some of the best and most unspoiled coral reefs

Photos: PhotBlog

Before Tunisia, it happened in Sudan. Very rarely mentioned is the popular uprising against Ja'afar Numeiry that took place in Sudan about 25 years ago. In March 1985, a few days after Numeiry had doubled the prices of bread, petrol and public transport, public protests began in Sudan. Daily protests continued and were soon to be joined by university students, union activists and tens of thousands of others. Many were arrested, a state of emergency was declared so as to better manage crackdowns. Then, too, like in Tunisia, the military at first watched impartially; but eventually sided with the popular uprising. On the 5th of April, 1985 - the Sudanese armed forces supported the people's demands for the ouster of Numeiry and seized power in Sudan, while Numeiry was out of the country; they suspended the constitution, sacked Numeiry's top officials and dissolved the People's Assembly. Lead by General Suwar Al'Dhahab, they formed a transitional government

A new country has just been created in Africa: in Southern Sudan. According to an article in Marketwatch , its future can be bright if: First, with all due respect to the relative harmony with the north concerning oil exports, it can vanish instantaneously. And war with the north is the last thing the new country can afford. .....raw materials would be a godsend for a fledgling landlocked nation with hardly 100 miles of paved roads and an annual average income of less than $1,000. And South Sudan is indeed blessed with a range of other raw materials, from iron and tungsten to copper and zinc. Yet to embark on a truly solid future, Juba would do well to realize at this embryonic stage that overreliance on raw materials has devastated other newborn countries. Besides inviting more friction with the north, a focus on oil is likely to enrich a thin social elite and leave the economy itself degenerate and the populace restive. Conversely, South Sudan can focus on farming, education, infr

Some species of the giant tortoises are now extinct, but in some places, especially islands in Africa, some still exist. These gentle, lovable creatures, can live for more than 100 years; one, in Australia, was said to have lived for 176 years, and another in Kolkata, India, reportedly lived for about 250 years. They sometimes weigh up-to over 300 kilos and can be over one-and-a-quarter meters long. In the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, they thrive. Read more from: UNESCO , the BBC , FM , Fox News , Aldabra Tortoise , Aldabra Atoll , Destination360 , Galapagos Online , Discover Galapagos , Wikipedia , Geo Cornell

Much has ben said about, Sao Tome and Princip e; this magical island nation: its remoteness, it's stunning beauty and its distinct culture. The Guardian has just come up with this: If travel writers ever descended on São Tomé they would be able to deploy every cliche. The island, and its even more isolated neighbour Príncipe, is a magical place of ridgeback mountains and rainforest, palms and rocky pinnacles, beaches and old Portuguese towns. Not very much has happened there since its rather vicious colonial rulers walked away in 1975; few people know that it is an independent country or can find it on the map, in the Atlantic just south of Nigeria and west of Gabon. Its government is democratic, the sun shines, the rain falls, the soil is good and the sea is full of fish.  Read more here .

With the seas being continuously and increasing polluted; with air and sea temperatures rising; with fishing becoming more intensive and extensive - can coral reefs be protected? Scientists predict that 70 per cent of the world’s coral reefs may well be destroyed over the next 20-40 years, unless we stop cyanide fishing, pollution, sewage, erosion and clumsy tourism . Plans are being made to give coral reefs more and better protection; if the plans succeed, our Planet will be better off: Coral reefs occupy less than one percent of the Earth’s marine environment, but are home to more than a quarter of all known marine fish species and tens of thousands of other species found nowhere else on earth. Reefs also serve as a buffer against incoming storm surges, protecting local populations. Unfortunately, many coastal ecosystems are threatened by human activities including overfishing, agriculture, and urban development. The degradation of coastal ecosystems not only results in a loss of b