Wild Life
WILD LIFE
Stretching from the desert in the north to
the Sudano-Guinean savanna in the south and
from dense tropical forests in the extreme
southwest to the mountainous regions in the
east, Sudan is a natural host to an
exceptional diversity of wildlife. At least
34 species of antelopes alone have been
identified, spread across and reflecting the
great variety of habitat. Certain
species
are confined to specific localized habitats.
Others cross great
distances, migrating from
one area to another each season. Certain
regions of the country, such as the vast
flood plains of the Nile and the marshlands
of the south, are practically inaccessible
throughout the year or during a large part
of it. It is in these ecosystems that
certain species find ideal refuge from man
and thrive in great numbers.
Sudan is
probably the only country in the
world with the greatest variety of big
mammals living on land. It should be noted
that animal husbandry and stockbreeding are
very developed and widespread in Sudan, and
can alone ensure the supply of animal
proteins both for national consumption and
for export needs. It is worth noting
that
Sudan was one of the first countries in
Africa to designate wildlife
protection
areas as early as the 1930s. In Africa,
Sudan has a prominent
reputation as the
region with most abundant game and thriving
wildlife
tourism.
Geographically, we can divide the different
species of animals that are found in Sudan
into:
Sudano-Sahclian and Sudano-Guincan
Zones
Among the species that do not remain
attached to a particular habitat but are
generally found in the Sudano-Sahelian
through Sudano-Guinean zones are the
hippopotamus, elephant, warthog,
hartebeest,
buffalo, ostrich, lion, giraffe, leopard,
spotted hyena, wild
dog, cheetah, black
rhinoceros, ant bear and white rhinoceros.
Desert Zone
Addax can be found in the desert and arid
zones of northern and north-western Sudan.
Many of the oryx species have been seen in
Sudan for the last 25 years,
but it is
likely that during certain seasons some of
them migrate from
Chad, where recent
information reports their presence.
Southern
Sudan
Addra gazelle and dorcas gazelle are
found
in the south of Sudan, east and west of the
equator, as well as in
the regions of Bahr
El Ghazal, El Buheyral, Jonglei and Upper
Nile. The
highest concentration of the
country's antelopes is found in the zones
where they have been protected by the
inaccessibility of the region. Also zebras,
elano, kob and black rhinoceros inhabit
these parts. The red flanked duiker remains
confined in its habitat in the savanna
woodlands of the southwest.
Flooded annually over an area of over
100,000 sq. km.,
the vast plains of the
south shelter great numbers of antelopes
that
migrate from one area to another. The
most numerous single species is the
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
and Kenya. Large populations of sitatunga,
Nile lechwe and buffalo inhabit the
marshlands of the south, one of the most
extensive swamp networks in Africa, This
region hosts the lesser kudu grant gazelles
and klipspringer dik dik.
Jebel Mara, a mountainous region in the
extreme northwest of the grassland savanna,
shelters the greater kudu gazelle. The
rivers and swamps in the central and
southern parts arc home to the hippopotamus
and the Nile crocodile.
The dense and
humid forest zone on the
Congolese border, with an area of about
4,600
sq. km, shelters a high concentration
of bongos, yellow backed duikers, blue
duikers, sitatungas, giant forest hogs and
chimpanzees. The relatively small
forest-covered area of the Imatong Mountains
(960 sq. km.) is inhabited by the blue
duiker and weyns duiker, as well as by a
species of the giant bush bucks.
The Red
Sea Hills
Nubbian ibex, erin-ean gazelles and
klipspringers are found in the Red Sea
hills. The barbary sheep finds home in the
desert hills of northern Sudan.
National Parks
Sudan has six national
parks covering a
total area of 60.370 sq. km, and 19 game
reserves with
a total area of 35.500 sq. km.
A total area of around 100,000 sq. km. is
designated for wildlife protection.
