www.sudan-tourism.gov Stretching for the desert in the north to the Sudano-Guinean Savanna in the south, & from dense tropical forest in the extreme south-west mountainous regions in the east, Sudan is the natural host to an exceptional diversity of wild life.
At least thirty four species of antelopes alone have been identified, spread across a reflecting the great variety of habitat. Certain species are confined to specific localize habitats. Others cross great distances, migrating from one area to another each season. Certain regions of the country, such as the vast flood rains of the Nile & the Marchlands of the south, are practically inaccessibly through out year or during a large part of it. It is in these ecosystems that certain speeches find ideal refuge from man & thrive in great numbers.
Sudan is properly the only country in the word with the great variety of big mammals living on land. It should be noted that animal husbandry & stock breading are very develop & wide spread in Sudan, & can alone insure the supply of animal proteins both for national consumption & export needs. Sudan could, there for, generate significant revenue of varied wild life resources, especially from certain abundant species, through sight seeing tourism sport hunting.
In effect before the out break of the civil war in the south, Sudan had a prominent reputation among African countries as the region with the most abundant game & thriving wild life tourism. It is also worse noting that Sudan was one of the first countries in Africa to designate wild life protection areas as early as 1930s. Geographically we can divide the different species of animal that are found in Sudan into:
· Sudano-Sahelian
· Sudano-Guinean zones.
Among the species that do not remain attached to particular habitat, but are generally found in the Sudano-Sahelian through Sudano-Guinean zone are the following: hippopotamus, elephants, Warthogs, Hartebeest, Buffalo, Ostrich, Lion, Giraffe, Leopard, spotted Hyena, wild dog, cheetah, black rhinoceros, ant bear, white rhinoceros.
Addax can be found in the desert & arid zone northern & north western Sudan. No sof the Oryx species have seen in Sudan for the last 25 years, but it is likely that during certain season some of them migrate from Chad, where recent information report their presence.
Addra gazelle & Dorcas Gazelle are found in the south of Sudan. East & west of equator, as well as in the regions of Bahr Egazal, elbuhayrat, Gungoli, & upper Nile. The highest concentration of the countries antelopes is found in the zones where they have been protected by the inaccessibility of the region. Also Zebras, Elano, Kobe, & black rhinoceros inhabit these parts. The Red flanked duiker remains confined in its habitat in the Savannah woodlands of the southwest. Flooded annually over an area of over 100,000 km². The vast plains of the south shelter great numbers of antelopes that migrate from one area to another.
The most numerous single species is white-Eared Kob, numbering almost one million. During its annual migration, it joins with thousands of new arrivals from the Serenguiti-mara ecosystem in Tanzania & Kenya. Large population of sitatunga, Nile Lechwe & Buffalo inhabits the marchlands of the south, one of the most extensive Swamps networks in Africa. The bush region in the south-east of Sudan has the same habitat as northern Kenya, the north east of Uganda & the low lands of southern Ethiopia. In this region hosts the lesser Kudu Grant Gazelles & Klipspringer Dikdik. Gababl Mara, mountainous region in the extreme north-west of the grass land Savannah shelters the greater Kudu Gazelle. The rivers & Swamps in the central & southern parts are home to the Hippopotamus & the Nile crocodile. The Dense & Humid forest zone on the Zairian Border, with an areas of about 4600km. Shelters a high concentration of bong, yellow backed Duikers, Blue Duikers, Sitatunga, Giant forest hogs& Chimpanzees. The relatively small forest covered area of the Amatong Mountains 960km ² on the border with Uganda is inhabited by the Blue Duiker & Weyns Duiker, as well as by species of the giant bush bucks. The Red Sea hills: Nubian Ibex, Eritrean Gazelles & Klipspringers are found in the Red Sea hills. The Barbary sheep find home in the desert hills of northern Sudan.
Sudan has six national parks covering a total area of 60,370sq.km.and19 game reserves with a total area of 35,500sq.km.thus, a total area of around 100,000sq.km.are designated for wild life protection areas.
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