The oldest animal reserve in Africa

The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa, is a natural oasis abundant in rhinos, elephants, leopards, Lions and more than 300 species of birds. However, the species in the wild areas of the Park are in danger due to plans to build an open-pit coal mine.

This South African Reserve is the oldest animal sanctuary in the world, created in 1895. Once this place was exclusive famous hunting ground chieftain Shaka Zulu. The reserve functions as a power Park, since it helps populate other protected areas. As such, its ecosystem is particularly important.

The shrine is home of the "big five" of Africa â€" elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, Lions and leopards. Currently there are about 600 elephants in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, spanning 96,000 hectares of Savannah, forest and mountain pastures, says the Guardian. Due to conservation efforts, the Park now has the largest population of white rhinos in the world.

However, the plans to start extracting coal in the region could threaten the habitat of the species in the Park. Separating the buffer and the location of the mine there is only the Umfolozi River, which marks the boundary of the Park.

.fancybox-wrap { position: absolute; top:0; left: 0; z-index: 8020; } .fancybox-skin { position: relative; /*margin-top:20px !important;*/ background: #222222; color: #74b32e; text-shadow: none; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; } .fancybox-opened { z-index: 8030; } .fancybox-opened .fancybox-skin { -webkit-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); -moz-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); } .fancybox-outer, .fancybox-inner { position: relative; } .fancybox-inner { overflow: hidden; } .fancybox-type-iframe .fancybox-inner { -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch; } .fancybox-close{ background: url('wp-content/themes/codistage/styles/fancybox/exit.png') no-repeat; width:25px; height:25px; float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-right:5px; } /*.ngg-gallery-image img{width:565px; height:393px;}*/

If You Enjoyed This, Take 5 Seconds To Share It

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• StumbleUpon
• Digg
• Delicious
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• Technorati