Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 square kilometres
(7,523 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South
Africa, and extends 360 kilometres
(220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to
west. The administrative headquarters are in Skukuza. Areas of the park were first protected by the
government of the South African Republic in 1898, and it became South Africa's
first national park in
1926.
To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are
the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace
park that links Kruger National
Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.
The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere an area designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) as an
International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").
The park has nine main gates allowing entrance to the
different camps.
History
The area was a home of the Tsonga people, from Skukuza/Ulusaba in
the South, Manyeleti/ Timbavati in the Centre and Makuleke/ Pafuri Triangle in the
North, the Tsonga people dominated the entire area. The Tsonga people became a
victim of forced removal from the Kruger National Park between 1899 and 1926.
When the British Colonialists took over the administration of Union of South
Africa in 1902, they sought to expand the park and finally in 1926, the Tsonga
people were removed from the entire land to make way for the establishment of
South Africa's biggest nature reserve. The last Tsonga people in the park were
removed during the 1960s at Makuleke in the Pafuri triangle. Since 1994, the Tsonga people have been
involved in a land claim dispute with the South African Government for the
restoration of their once vast Kingdoms; however the Government is not willing
to hand over the entire park to the Tsonga people in the name of
'Conservation'. However, the Tsonga people are today active participants in the
hospitality industry in the whole park, the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate testify to
this participation.
Sabi Game Reserve (1898-1926)
In1895, Jakob Louis van Wyk introduced in the Volksraad of the old South African Republic, a motion to
create the game reserve which would become the Kruger National Park. That
motion, introduced together with another Volksraad member by the name of R. K.
Loveday, and accepted for discussion in September 1895 by a majority of one
vote, resulted in the proclamation by Paul
Kruger president of the Transvaal Republic, on 26
March 1898, of a "Government Wildlife Park." This park would later be
known as the Sabi Game Reserve and was expanded into the Kruger National Park
in 1926.
The park was initially created to control
hunting and protect the diminished number of animals in the park.
James Stevenson Hamilton became the first warden of the reserve in
1902. The reserve was located in the southern one-third of the modern
park. Shingwedzi Reserve, named after the Shingwedzi River and now
in northern Kruger National Park, was proclaimed in 1903. In 1926, Sabie
Game Reserve, the adjacent Shingwedzi Game Reserve, and farms were combined to
create Kruger National Park.
During 1923, the first large groups of tourists
started visiting the Sabie Game Reserve, but only as part of the South African
Railways' popular "Round in Nine" tours. The tourist trains used the
Selati railway line between Komatipoort on the Mozambican border and Tzaneen in Limpopo Province. The tour included an
overnight stop at Sabie Bridge (now Skukuza) and a short walk, escorted by
armed rangers, into the bush. It soon became a highlight of the tour and it
gave valuable support for the campaign to proclaim the Sabie Game Reserve as a
national park.
1926-1946
After the proclamation of the Kruger National Park in
1926, the first three tourist cars entered the park in 1927, jumping to 180
cars in 1928 and 850 cars in 1929.
Warden James Stevenson-Hamilton retired on 30 April
1946, after 44 years as warden of the Kruger Park and its predecessor,
the Sabi Sabi Game
Reserve.
1946-1994
He was replaced by Colonel J. A. B. Sandenbergh of the
South African Air Force. During 1959, work commenced to completely fence
the park boundaries. Work started on the southern boundary along the Crocodile River and in 1960 the western and northern boundaries were fenced,
followed by the eastern boundary with Mozambique. The purpose of the fence was
to curb the spread of diseases, facilitate border patrolling and inhibit the
movement of poachers.
The Makuleke area in the northern part of the park was
forcibly taken from the Makuleke people by the
government in 1969 and about 1500 of them were relocated to land to the South
so that their original tribal areas
could be integrated into the greater Kruger National Park.
1994-present
In 1996 the Makuleke tribe submitted a land
claim for 19,842 hectares
(198.42 km2) in the northern part of the Kruger National
Park. The land was given back to the Makuleke people, however, they chose
not to resettle on the land but to engage with the private sector to invest in
tourism, thus resulting in the building of several game lodges.
In the late 1990s, the fences between the Kruger Park
and Klaserie Game Reserve, Olifants Game Reserve and Balule Game Reserve were
dropped and incorporated into the Greater Kruger Park with 40 000 hectares
added to the Reserve.
In 2002, Kruger National Park, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique were incorporated into a peace
park, the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
Location and Geography
The park lies in the north-east of South
Africa, in the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Phalaborwa, Limpopo is the only town in South Africa that
borders the Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest national parks in
the world, with an area of 19,485 square kilometres (7,523 sq mi).
The park is approximately 360 kilometres (220 mi) long, and has an
average width of 65 kilometres (40 mi). At its widest point, the park
is 90 kilometres (56 mi) wide from east to west.
To the north and south of the park two rivers,
the Limpopo and
the Crocodile respectively,
act as its natural boundaries. To the east the Lebombo Mountains separate
it from Mozambique. Its western boundary runs parallel with this range, roughly
65 kilometres (40 mi) distant. The park varies in altitude between 200
metres (660 ft) in the east and 840 metres (2,760 ft) in the
south-west near Berg-en-Dal. The highest point in the park is here, a hill
called Khandzalive. Several rivers run through the park from west to east,
including the Sabie, Olifants, Crocodile, Letaba, Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers.
See also: Makuleke and Lanner
Gorge
Climate
The climate of the Kruger National Park and Lowveld is
subtropical. Summer days are humid and hot with temperatures often soaring to
above 38 °C (100 °F). The rainy season is from September until May.
The Kruger National Park website lists September and October as the driest
periods, culminating in rains late in October. The dry winter season is the
ideal time to visit this region for various reasons. There is less chance of
contracting malaria and the days are milder. Viewing wildlife is more rewarding
as the vegetation is more sparse and animals are drawn to the waterholes to
drink every morning and evening.
Flora and fauna
Thorn trees and red bush-willow veld
This area lies between the western boundary and
roughly the centre of the park south of the Olifants River. Combretums, such as
the red bush-willow (Combretum apiculatum), and Acacia species
predominate while there are a great number of marula trees (Sclerocarya caffra). The Acacias are dominant along the rivers and streams, the
very dense Nwatimhiri bush along the Sabie River between Skukuza and Lower
Sabie being a very good example.
Knob-thorn and marula veld
South of the Olifants River in the eastern half of the
park, this area provides the most important grazing-land. Species such as red
grass (Themeda triandra) and buffalo grass (Panicum maximum) predominate while the knob-thorn (Acacia nigrescens), leadwood (Combretum imberbe) and marula (Sclerocarya
caffra) are the main tree species.
Red bush-willow and mopane veld
This area lies in the western half of the park, north
of the Olifants River. The two most prominent species here are the red
bush-willow (Combretum apiculatum) and the mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane).
Shrub mopane veld
Shrub mopane covers almost the entire north-eastern
part of the park.
There are a number of smaller areas in the park which
carry distinctive vegetation such as Pretoriuskop where the sickle bush and the
silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea) are prominent. The sandveld communities near Punda Maria are equally
definitive, with a wide variety of unique species.
Birds
Out of the 517 species of birds found at Kruger, 253 are residents, 117
non-breeding migrants, and 147 nomads. Some of the larger birds require large
territories or are sensitive to habitat degradation. Six of these species,
which are by and large restricted to Kruger and other extensive conservation
areas, have been assigned to a fanciful grouping called the "Big Six
Birds". They are the lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, saddle-billed stork, kori bustard, ground hornbill and the reclusive Pel's fishing owl, which is localized and seldom seen. There are between 25 and 30
breeding pairs of saddle-billed storks in the park, besides a handful of
non-breeding individuals. In 2012 178 family groups of ground hornbills
roamed the park and 78 nests were known, of which 50% were active.
Fauna of the Kruger National Park
All the Big Five game animals are
found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of large mammals than any other African game reserve (at 147
species). There are webcams set up to observe the wildlife.
The park stopped culling elephants in 1994 and tried translocating them,
but by 2004 the population had increased to 11,670 elephants, by 2006 to
approximately 13,500, by 2009 to 11,672, and by 2012 to 16,900. The park's
habitats can only sustain about 8,000 elephants. The park started using
annual contraception in
1995, but has stopped that due to problems with delivering the contraceptives
and upsetting the herds.
Kruger supports packs of the endangered African wild dog, of which
there are thought to be only about 400 in the whole of South Africa.
Wildlife Population As of 2009
Reptiles
Kruger houses 114 species of reptile, including black
mamba, african rock pythons, and 3000 crocodiles.
Amphibians and fish
Thirty-three species of amphibians are found in the
Park, as well as 50 fish species. A Zambesi shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull
shark, was caught at the confluence
of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers in July 1950. Zambezi sharks tolerate fresh
water and can travel far up rivers like the Limpopo.
Anti-poaching measures
The park's anti-poaching unit consists of 650 SANParks game
rangers, assisted by the SAPS and
the SANDF (including
the SAAF). As of
2013, the park is equipped with two drones borrowed
from Denel and
two Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters, donated by the RAF to augment its air
space presence. Automated movement sensors relay intrusions along the
Mozambique border to a control center, and a specialist dog unit has been
introduced. Buffer zones have been established along the border with Mozambique, from
where many poachers have infiltrated the park, as an alternative to costly new
fences. The original 150 km long fences were dropped in 2002 to
establish the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. The national anti-poaching committee oversees
all activities and coordinates interested parties.
Poachers
Kruger's big game poachers operate with night vision
instruments and large caliber rifles, fitted with suppressors and sophisticated telescopes. They are
mostly Mozambique citizens that initiate their carefully planned incursions
from the Mozambique border region. In 2012 some 200 poachers were
apprehended, while about 30 were killed in skirmishes.
In July 2012, a Kruger game ranger and policeman were
the first to die in an anti-poaching operation, while other employees
reported intimidation by poachers. A Kruger personnel strike affected some
anti-poaching operations, and a few employees have been directly
implicated. Rangers in and around the park have been pressured or
blackmailed by poaching syndicates to provide intelligence on the whereabouts
of rhinos and anti-poaching operations.
In December 2012, Kruger started using a Seeker II
drone against rhino poachers. The drone was loaned to the South African National Parks authority by its manufacturer Denel Dynamics, South Africa.
Rhino horn
Poachers mostly operate at or near full moon[39][56][57] and make no distinction
between white and black rhinos. Losses of black rhino are however low due to
their reclusive and aggressive nature. With rhino horn fetching around
$66,000 (and up to $82,000) per kilogram, the CITES ban on the trade in
rhino horn has proved largely ineffectual. The second horn is sometimes
hacked from the skull to obtain about 100 ml
of moisture that is sold locally as traditional medicine.
Poaching related to rhino horn escalated in the 21st
century with 949 rhinos killed in Kruger in the first twelve years (2001 to
2012), and over 520 in 2013 alone. A planned memorandum of agreement
between South Africa and Vietnam, in addition to the one with China, are
seen as necessary milestones in stemming the tide, while negotiations with
Thailand have not yet started. The amount of rhino horn held in storage is
not publicly known. Since 2009 some Kruger rhinos have been fitted with
invisible tracing devices in their bodies and horns which enable officials to
locate their carcasses and to track the smuggled horns by satellite. South
Africa's 22,000 white and black rhinos, of which 12,000 are found in Kruger,
represent some 93% of these species' world population.
Ivory stocks
Kruger experienced significant elephant poaching in
the 1980s, which has since abated. It holds over 48 tons of ivory in storage. According to Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES),
it is allowed to sell 30 tons.
Following approval by CITES, 47 metric tons of
stockpiled ivory from Kruger were auctioned on 6 November 2008. The sale
fetched approximately US$6.7 million which will be used towards increasing
anti-poaching activity. The average price for the 63 lots on auction was
US$142/kg.
Other
It is foreseen that the placement of wire traps to
procure meat would eventually become the most challenging form of
poaching. A scheme has been proposed to reward adjacent communities with
the proceeds of game sales in return for their cooperation in game
preservation. The larger communities include Bosbokrand, Acornhoek,
Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Komatipoort, Malelane, Marloth Park, Nelspruit and
Phalaborwa.
Accommodation and facilities
The Kruger National Park has 21 rest camps, as well as
2 private lodge concessions, and 15 designated private safari lodges. The
concessions are parcels of land operated by private companies in partnership
with communities, who outsource the operation of private lodges. Camping in the
park has become popular with tourists and backpackers because it is much less
expensive, and open to anyone, requiring no special permission to partake.