African sanctuaries beckon wildlife enthusiasts from southern districts

Madurai: Africa does not come first in the tour itinerary of people in general in this part of state. Television programmes on wildlife and reports in other media are gradually creating an interest in wildlife among the public and many are packing their bags and taking off to Africa to have a glimpse of wildlife sanctuaries in the continent that is abundant with wildlife.

Kenya and Tanzania in east Africa attract thousands of tourists from across the world. "Wildlife is the major attraction of Tanzania and the Serengeti wildlife sanctuary is the hot spot of wildlife tourism attracting visitors from across the world. Wildlife is protected with utmost care and any wildlife offence is dealt with severely," says Fr V Immanuel, a Catholic priest from India living in Tanzania near the Serengeti wildlife sanctuary.

According to wildlife enthusiasts here, two seasons in the wildlife sanctuaries of these countries are significant.

The calving season during February-March and gre at migration of wild beasts from the Serengeti sanctuary to the Masai Mara sanctuary in Kenya.

Both seasons offer different spectacles of wildlife as the calving season, where herbivores give birth to their young attracting predators, offers more hunting scenarios, while migration comes with the dangers of crossing the river amid predators.

Recently an eight-member team from the region travelled to the Serengeti wildlife sanctuary at Tanzania. They camped in the sanctuary for a week, coming face to face with wildlife and capturing colourful images of wild animals.

"The trip was rewarding as we could see lot of hunting by cheetahs in open grasslands. Except vector borne diseases, for which need adequate precaution, everything is safe and gives a lifetime experience for wildlife lovers," said C P Rajkumar of VANAM (Vaigai Association for Nature and Mountain Ranges), a wildlife NGO from Theni, who was part of the team.

Wildlife photographer Sriram Janak from Madurai, who had been to these sanctuaries, commented that Africa is a haven for wildlife lovers. "Lots of Indians travel to these African destinations when the calving and migration season starts," he said. Janak said other famous destinations in Africa are the Kruger national park in South Africa, the Chobe national park in Botswana for elephants and desert lions. B S G Mustafa of Meraj Travels and former president of the Madurai Travel Club said Africa was not a favourite destination for tourists from Madurai. "But the scene is changing and the number of tourists to Africa from this region is increasing steadily, thanks to media coverage on wildlife," he said.
Source: African sanctuaries beckon wildlife enthusiasts from southern districts