Tarangire gets boost from Friends of Serengeti

 

Esther Kasanga

MANYARA: TARANGIRE National Park has received various equipment worth 75m/- from Friends of Serengeti Switzerland with the aim of safeguarding the national park’s

environment and safety.

The equipment was handed over on Tuesday at Tarangire National Park in Manyara Region. They included tents, night vision goggles, binoculars, Global Positioning System (GPS), fuel and equipment for depositing solid waste.

Speaking during the handover of the equipment, the representative of Friends of Serengeti Switzerland, Suzan Shio said they have continued to provide various equipment for conservation in different reserves.

“Without conservation, there is no tourism, I believe these types of equipment will help and increase the morale of the wardens and workers when they perform their daily activities,” said Shio.

Shio said that the night vision goggles are modern so while patrolling at night they will help in identifying poachers closely and easily and the fuel will help in daily patrols and border activities.

Shio said that it is important to keep the conserved areas clean for the wellbeing of the wild animals and that is why they provided the solid waste facilities for all seven stations to maintain the park environment.

The Assistant Conservation Commissioner in charge of Business Development, Beatrice Kessy from Tarangire National Park thanked Friends of the Serengeti for the equipment, noting that they will help to strengthen patrol and conservation activities.

“With the use of the night vision goggles, it will help borders to be visible so I ask citizens to respect the borders and stop poaching because patrol will be conducted effectively in the national park,” added Kessy.

She said that the Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA) is grateful and recognises the great contribution made by the Friends of the Serengeti Institute who since 1984 have been implementing many projects in the Tanzania National Parks.

The Tarangire National Park is known as a wonderful birding destination and also features large numbers of game, particularly during the dry season, when the Tarangire River is the only source of water in the area.

The landscape is of particular interest too, due to the high number of scenic baobab trees, the park is impressively splendid for its famous concentration of wild animals especially the elephants and it is also one of the finest birding destinations in East Africa.