Maasai Mara Game Reserve
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (also known as Masai
Mara and by the locals as The Mara) is a large game reserve in Mara Region,
Tanzania; contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in It is named in honor of the Maasai people
(the ancestral inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when
looked at from afar: "Mara," which is Maa (Maasai language) for
"spotted," an apt description for the circles of trees, shrub,
savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area.
It is globally famous for its exceptional population of
Masai lions, African leopards and Tanzanian cheetahs, and the annual migration
of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti every
year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is only a fraction of
the Greater Mara Ecosystem, which includes the following Group Ranches:
Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol
Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet
Wildlife
Wildebeest, topi, zebra, and Thomson's gazelle migrate
into and occupy the Mara reserve, from the Serengeti plains to the south and
Loita Plains in the pastoral ranches to the north-east, from July to October or
later. Herds of all three species are also resident in the reserve.
Elephants
Masai Mara Tanzania Big Five
All members of the "Big Five" (lion, leopard,
African elephant, cape buffalo, and black rhinoceros) are found in the Maasai
Mara. The population of black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was
severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low
of 15 individuals. Numbers have been slowly increasing, but the population was
still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999.
Cheetah with cubs, Hippopotami and crocodiles are found in large groups in
the Mara and Talek rivers. Leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared
foxes can also be found in the reserve. The plains between the Mara River and
the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in
particular regarding lion and cheetah.
As in the Serengeti,
The wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai
Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions. Around July of each
year, these animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh
pasture, and return to the south around October. The Great Migration is one of
the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving some 1,300,000
wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson's gazelles, 97,000 Topi, 18,000 elands, and 200,000
zebras. These migrants are followed along their annual, circular route by
predators, most notably lions and hyena.
Geography
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) covers some 1,510 km2 (583 sq mi)[1] in north-eastern Tanzania. It is the most section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which covers some 25,000 km2 (9,700 sq mi) in Tanzania and Kenya. It is bounded by the Serengeti Park to the south, the Siria escarpment to the west, and Maasai pastoral ranches to the north, east and west. Rainfall in the ecosystem increases markedly along a southeast–northwest gradient, varies in space and time, and is markedly bimodal. The Sand, Talek River and Mara River are the major rivers draining the reserve. Shrubs and trees fringe most drainage lines and cover hillslopes and hilltops.
The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland with seasonal riverlets. In the south-east region are clumps of the distinctive acacia tree. The western border is the Esoit (Siria) Escarpment of the East African Rift, which is a system of rifts some 5,600 km (3,500 mi) long, from Ethiopia's Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique. Wildlife tends to be most concentrated here, as the swampy ground means that access to water is always good, while tourist disruption is minimal. The easternmost border is 224 kilometres (139.2 mi) from Nairobi, and hence it is the eastern regions which are most visited by tourists.
Altitude: 1500-2180m; Rainfall: 83mm/month; Temperature range: 12-30℃
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