Zakouma National Park Pics

Description: Zakouma National Park is a national park, located between Sarh and Am Timan, in the south of Chad. Created in 1963, it was Chad's first national park, and has an area of almost 3000 square kilometres (1200 square miles). It is entirely surrounded by the Bahr Salamat Faunal Reserve. Zakouma was neglected during the period of civil conflict,... ( +expand to view full text )

Description: Zakouma National Park is a national park, located between Sarh and Am Timan, in the south of Chad. Created in 1963, it was Chad's first national park, and has an area of almost 3000 square kilometres (1200 square miles). It is entirely surrounded by the Bahr Salamat Faunal Reserve. Zakouma was neglected during the period of civil conflict, but a restoration programme, supported by the European Union, began in 1989 and is continuing in 2006. The area in and near the Park has seen significant reduction in certain wildlife species in recent decades. For example, elephant herds were substantial in number as recently as 1970 with an estimated population of 300,000; however, by 2007 the number had dwindled to about 10,000. The African elephant nominally has governmental protection, but the implementation practices of the government (backed with certain EU help) has proven insufficient to stop the poaching. In 2006, Conservationist J. Michael Fay and National Geographic photographer Michael Nichols traveled to Zakouma National Park to document the danger poachers create for the world's largest remaining concentration of elephants. Their trip resulted in Ivory Wars, Last Stand in Zakouma. New tourist accommodation was opened in the Park, at Tinga, in 2003.