| This acacia is a symbol of life in the vast expanses of thorny savanna, where wild animals come to take advantage of its leaves or its shade. Tsavo National Park in southeastern Kenya, crossed by the Nairobi–Mombasa road and railway axis, is the country’s largest protected area (8 200 square miles, or 21 000 km2) and was declared a national park in 1948. Tsavo was already famous for its many elephants when, in the 1970s, many animals fleeing drought converged toward the park. Consuming more than 440 pounds (200 kg) of vegetation daily, they seriously damaged the natural environment. Controversy surrounded the question of whether selective slaughter was necessary, but poachers put an end to the debate by exterminating more than 80% of the 36,000 elephants in the park. Tsavo’s rhinoceroses, sought after for their horns (considered aphrodisiacs in Asia), suffered the same fate. The prohibition of international trading in ivory and rhino horns has enabled certain wild populations to increase in number. However, poaching and disappearing natural habitats remain disturbing threats. Illegal world trade in wild flora and fauna provides between $12 billion and $19 billion in revenues each year. |
.&title2=« Tree of life », Tsavo national park, Kenya (3°36’ S, 39°02’ E).&title3="EL ÁRBOL DE LA VIDA", parque nacional de Tsavo-Est, Kenia. (2°11’ S - 38°25’ E). "download in wallpaper")
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