Katavi will offer best view of annular eclipse and wildlife

The scenic Katavi National Park in the southern highlands of Tanzania. This is one of the ideal places in the world to view the annular eclipse between end of August and early September 2016. PHOTO | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

By Apolinari Tairo

In Summary

• While most of Africa will see at least a partial eclipse, only those directly in the line of annularity will see the beautiful symmetry of the moon’s shadow aligning with the sun.
• The eclipse will be at its best and longest position in the southern highlands and western area of Tanzania, which are rich in wildlife and other natural attractions.
• Katavi National Park is one of Tanzania’s largest and most remote parks and is considered one of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas, with lush green marshland populated by hippos, flocks of waterfowl and elephants.

From the end of August to early September, Tanzania and other African countries in the south of the continent will be the best places to view the annular eclipse, the beautiful and rare natural phenomenon observed when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, blocking almost all its light, and leaving just a “ring of fire” visible.

In particular, Katavi National Park, located in the southern highlands of Tanzania, will be the ideal place to view the eclipse.

From August 27 to September 3, the solar eclipse and its shadow will cut across over the African sky, starting from the Atlantic Ocean and moving to the west, across Gabon, Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, and to the Indian Ocean.

While most of Africa will see at least a partial eclipse, only those directly in the line of annularity will see the beautiful symmetry of the moon’s shadow aligning with the sun.

The eclipse will be at its best and longest position in the southern highlands and western area of Tanzania, which are rich in wildlife and other natural attractions.

Ruaha National Park is another tourist paradise in the southern highlands of Tanzania from where one will get a good view of the eclipse.

Only parts of Tanzania will be able to view the eclipse in full; the eclipse will take a curving path between the Mlala Hills near Katavi National Park on the east side of Lake Tanganyika, and extend over the Kipengere Ranges to the north of Lake Malawi.

Legend

In ancient times, before astrologers could explain the science involved, eclipses were viewed as bad omens. Legend has it that an eclipse occurred in Asia Minor during a war between the Medes and the Lydians in 585BC. Both sides were so terrified that they put down their weapons and declared peace.

Today, we know that eclipses are caused when the moon passes between the sun and earth, blocking out the sun’s rays. Far from being a bad omen, they are a cause for celebration — a chance to view a fascinating natural phenomenon.

Perfect setting

“Famous for its ‘big skies’ which are typically perfectly clear, Tanzania already provides the perfect setting,” said Rosemary Sloggett, the managing director of the online travel guide, theindependenttraveller.com.

“Katavi’s wealth of wildlife and wilderness, with virtually no light pollution, it is an ideal location right on the path of annularity. Observers will be able to combine the eerie moments of darkness, as the moon obscures the sun, with seeing and hearing the impact this has on the wildlife in its natural habitat,” Ms Sloggett said.

“Nocturnal creatures such as owls often become active during the eclipse, while daytime animals could fall asleep, confused into thinking it is nighttime. There have also been reports of songbirds going silent,” she added.

Prof Paul Murdin of Cambridge University and a senior fellow of the UK Institute of Astronomy wrote of his experience at the Mana Pools in Zimbabwe.

“The diminishing light and warmth caused hippos sleeping on a sandbank to wake up and disperse into the river, seeking breakfast. When the sunlight returned, they were clearly not sure whether to eat or go back to bed,” he wrote.

Dame Daphne Sheldrick of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust said, “When it comes to larger mammals, not much is known of their reaction to eclipses. I would not expect elephants to act differently, but they are highly sensitive and will be aware of it. As far as we are aware, there has been no research into this, so it will be interesting to see.”

There won’t be another annular solar eclipse in Tanzania until May 21, 2031.

Great wilderness

Katavi National Park is one of Tanzania’s largest and most remote parks and is considered one of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas, with lush green marshland populated by hippos, flocks of waterfowl and elephants.

At the centre of the park is Lake Chada, on the floodplain that was flattened by the meandering Katuma River.

Set within the shallow arm of the western rim of the Rift Valley that runs southeast from Lake Tanganyika to terminate in the marshy expanse of Lake Rukwa, Katavi is Tanzania’s third largest national park and, according to one recent scientific survey, holds a higher concentration of wildlife than any other park in Africa.

A large part of the park supports a featureless cover of tangled brachystegia woodland, home to substantial but elusive populations of the localised eland, sable and roan antelopes. But the focus for game viewing within the park is the Katuma River and associated floodplains such as the seasonal Lakes Katavi and Chada.

During the rainy season, these lush, marshy lakes are a haven for a myriad water birds, and they also support dense populations of hippos and crocodiles.

It is during the dry season, when the floodwaters retreat, that Katavi truly comes into its own. Upto 100 hippos can be found out of the water, with several thirsty elephants, buffalo, lions, hyenas and various antelope species. The Katuma River provides refuge to a great many hippos. Wherever the water is a few feet deep, groups of up to 200 hippos flop across each other, panting in the heat.

These hippo groups are comprised of several different herds that are dispersed across the saturated flood plain during other seasons of the year.

Tourists can watch the male rivalry at the crowded pools, with bloody territorial disputes occurring almost daily. The male hippos leave the main group and clamber up the riverbank, where they growl and chase each other back into the water.

Katavi possibly has more game than other Tanzanian park, including the Serengeti. The lesser-known park supports big herds of elephants on a scale seldom seen elsewhere in Africa.

Some 4,000 elephants could converge at one area, together with several herds of 1,000 or more buffalo, while an abundance of giraffes, zebras, impalas and reedbucks provide easy pickings for the numerous lion prides and spotted hyena clans whose territories converge on the floodplains.

Also common on the floodplain are smaller herds of topi and Defassa waterbuck, while the fringing brachystegia woodland hosts populations of impala, giraffe, eland and more rarely leopard, and sable and roan antelopes.

Birdlife

There is also a diversity of birds: The prolific water birds that congregate along the rivers — wattled and blacksmith plovers, yellow-billed, open-billed and saddle-billed storks and pelicans are common, as are yellow-throated sand grouse, which come chuckling and gargling to drink a couple of hours after sunrise.

The dazzling lilac-breasted roller and elegant grey-backed shrike perch conspicuously on open branches, while taller stands of acacia, such as those around the tented camp, are home to the gorgeous paradise flycatcher, sulphur-breasted bush-shrike and black cuckoo-shrike.

During the dry season, from May to October, the vegetation is lush with higher animal concentrations. During the wet season, sweltering heat and a proliferation of mosquitoes and tsetse flies are found in the park’s ecosystem.

The park covers an area of 4,471 kilometres, lying East of Lake Tanganyika.

Tourists can also visit Gombe and Mahale Chimpanzee parks on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Gorilla groups have been occasionally spotted in the remote areas of Katavi, bringing hope that this region will host the first gorilla park in Tanzania.

Researchers believe that gorilla communities had been living in Katavi National Park in past decades, but migrated to Rwanda, Uganda and Congo due to encroachment on the land, which is now under cultivation, and tree harvesting.

Tourists from Burundi, Zambia, Uganda, Congo and Rwanda are frequent, visitors to Katavi National Park and its surrounding ecosystem.