Tanzania's hidden wildlife reserve owned by American billionaire

 

By The Citizen Reporter

Media/news company

Mwananchi Communication Limmited

Summary

·         The Friedkin Conservation Fund (friedkinfund.org), is deeply involved in East African conservation and has leased an astonishing 6 million acres of Tanzania's wilderness with an eye towards protecting it

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is home to one of the best game reserves in Africa making it a revered safari destination for many across the world but little is known aboutMwiba wildlife reserve which is privately owned by American billionaire.

The Texas-based billionaire Dan Friedkin, is the chairman of Gulf States Toyota.

According to an article by Forbes, his family trust, the Friedkin Conservation Fund (friedkinfund.org), is deeply involved in East African conservation and has leased an astonishing 6 million acres of Tanzania's wilderness with an eye towards protecting it.

It is not known how much the billionaire paid to acquire this gem, it is however said that the reserve was privatized in 2009.

Spread over 125,000 acres Mwiba borders onto Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s western boundary and on the southern part of Serengeti National Park.

Serengeti’s wildebeest migration passes through Mwiba between December and April. Characterized by rolling hills, kopjes, thickets, waterholes and (dry) rivers where pools form, its permanent water attracts wildlife all year round.

Visitors who have been there say itis an animal magnet when southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro conservation areas dry out between July and November each year.

According to Friedkin, Mwiba Lodge which costs $1,800 per person was built to have a near-stealth presence in the landscape.

"The design execution was a collaborative effort, but my wife, Debra, gets all the credit for the vision of the experience we wanted to offer our guests," he says.