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The Past, Present and Future of 

Ruaha National Park.


You have to know the past,
to understand the present.


Carl Sagan

Stories from the past

John Savidge was the first warden to be based in Ruaha National Park and the second warden in the history of the Park. He was a gentle, pensive, pipe smoking man, who believed the less human interference in an ecosystem, the healthier it would be; and that a plane with a series of strategically placed and permanently manned, ranger posts near to airstrips, was sufficient to ferry supplies and to protect these vast ecosystems.

Of course, from the perspective of the destructive nature of the human race, he was right. From an historical perspective, the socialist years, the consequent lack of resources and infrastructure, combined with Nyerere's strong belief that animals are not as important as humans, all led to widespread slaughter of wildlife in these underdeveloped areas.

Paradoxically it is Nyerere’s policy of self-reliance, and subsequent forced removal of 18.5 million people from remote areas into model villages, and into places with road and rail infrastructure, that saved a third of the country’s wildlife habitat and water systems; and further held back the very negative aspects of high density tourism, for 22 years.

A Day in the Life of John Savidge (1972)

Life in the Ruaha National Park started quietly. My wife and I lived in a “Uniport” sectional hut under a fig tree near the Mwagusi sand river. November Juliet lived on the airstrip across the sand river, hidden from the hut by dhom palms and a half mile of tall grass along the riverbanks. 

Iringa was our only town within reach of the Park. A sand, sometimes gravel track was good enough for a Land Rover or the three ton lorry in the dry season. The Park agents were a trio of helpful Asians running a larger than average store in the town, we usually had radio contact once a day. Reception was best early in the morning before the heat built up and as the day wore on the reception deteriorated to make it difficult to make yourself understood to virtually inaudible with constant static interference.
This particular day above the fade outs and crackles at midday I could make out Jivraj’s voice saying that a vital, long awaited spare part for the workshops had arrived at last.

I replied (shouting that I would fly in at once and collect it from the airfield which lies out of town.)
“Do you want to come for a ride in the ‘plane?” I asked my three-year-old son Jason, and of course he did.
The afternoon was hot and windless; the windsock half way along the airfield hung limp and motionless. No point in taxiing the length of the runway only to turn around and head for Iringa which lay to the East, across the camp and across the Ruaha. I halted at the top of the rise, engine running and checked that my little passenger was strapped in. (as far as possible, the single lap strap restrained him a little but the black material of the seats became uncomfortably hot, especially on bare thighs!)

After glancing right and left to double check the fuel gauges, at the base of each wing, checking propeller pitch was “fully fine” for take-off, closing the side windows, with toes moved down the pedals to avoid the brakes (these pedals also control the rudder) I pushed the throttle forward smoothly to its hilt and we roared down the slope gathering speed by the second – on a collision course with a bull elephant that was now crossing from the right at its fastest pace, alarmed by the engine noise.

When imminent catastrophic danger suddenly confronts us, we mortals, including pilots, react in different ways. The brain can become blank or the limbs can become immovable or function at greater than normal speed independently of the brain. I do not know what my brain would have made me do if it had continued to function during those four critical seconds before the inevitable crash. By the time it snapped back in to control the aircraft was air-born and in a place it should never have been – a few feet over the elephant’s back. I glanced down through the side window and saw its grey shoulder, massive at close quarters and knew instantly that the wheels had cleared its back. In the same millisecond I realised the throttle was pulled back (closed) and the engine returning to idle and that we were in imminent danger of stalling. I rammed the throttle forward and the engine roared back to life: November Juliet lurched, staggered in to full flight again and there was now response in the control column (in the grasp of my left hand) with the elevators (tail) and ailerons (wings) in the grip of the powerful airflow. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Jason because of his small size and the attitude of the “tail dragger” on the ground had probably not seen the elephant at all. Unimpressed by the highly unusual take-off he seemed unaware of his near brush with a premature and nasty end.

A young crocodile does not cry,
when he falls in water.


(African proverb)

A note from Chris Fox


Why is it difficult for many people to see and confront issues, from a holistic and interconnected perspective, despite dramatic, repeated and escalating warnings from the environment?

Many are attracted by issues concerning species such as Elephant or Lion, this extends to media and the donor community. 

Yet without the bigger, interconnected picture, to address issues at the species level becomes little more than a band aid over a deep gangrenous wound. 
Allow me to exemplify this. 

In my many years in Tanzania I have had the privilege to meet some of the very best ground-breaking forest scientists on the planet. Over these recent years, I have watched many of them move their energy out of the forests and into the Savannah; this, despite the significance of forests to the health of humanity and ecosystems. Why? 

The answer is simple money, driven by popularism and rooted in ignorance.

I have watched the ivory trade ebb and flow globally, more than once.
I have heard the fear mongers warn of the extinction of elephants due to the ivory trade, yet conveniently neglect to highlight the unlikelihood of extinction due to the presence of a tuskless gene prevalent in both males and females and manifested in countless herds. 

I have witnessed, on more than one occasion, the effect of an increased momentum of global, ‘media-driven’ spotlight, onto this ugly trade; and I have seen the corresponding, species driven,  increase in donor funding that results from this, and causes our precious, groundbreaking forest scientists, to leave their forest habitats and chase the donor money into the highly political arena of the Savannah.

Meanwhile, depletion of the water flows in national river systems, and inter-connected deforestation, present a far greater threat to elephant and in fact most other wildlife species.

How can those funding an orphanage not feel a sense of hopelessness when populations are expected to double and even quadruple in these African countries between 2030 to 2050? Unless they too, are contributing, in balance, to the factors influencing the rate at which children are becoming orphans. 

This is also connected to our forests. Currently there are 16 million downstream human users of the water coming off the Udzungwa range of mountains alone.

The use of chemicals and poor agricultural practices is creating imbalances in the soil biome diversity (fungii, bacteria, viruses, as well as reptiles, arthropods etc..) which in turn is negatively affecting human health and economies.

To address one component of the problem without others, will not bring the necessary balances into order.
I recommend you watch this very informative interview which helps to further illustrate the situation.
 
Watch the video: Doctor who predicted COVID-19 answers all

Guest review

“Fantastic experience with expert service!
I stayed with two other people in the Phillips banda. The banda was stunning with a great afternoon view of elephants and giraffes eating. Our guide Baldon was awesome and I would highly recommend him. He was able to see things far before the rest of us and was incredibly knowledgeable of all of the animals that we saw and then some“

Jacob P.

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