Killing the Selous elephants is killing tourism
Friday, 14 August 2009 07:23 | Written by Administrator |


The Business Times last week published a threat facing the elephant population in Africa’s biggest game reserve located in Tanzania, The Selous. In this follow up article, Correspondent FILISI JOHN gives an insight into The Selous, the home to the biggest elephant population in Tanzania. Romantically referred to in the world tourism circles as truly untamed Africa, The Selous is, therefore, worth every conservation work possible. Read on…

It’s just too sad. Why should man want to wear tusks? Can’t he leave them to their natural wearer, the elephant? This world madness has put the elephant population in many countries in the Southern Africa Development Community and Great Lakes sub-region. Worse still Tanzania is reported to be the right marker loser and, of all places, Africa’s biggest game reserve, The Selous, romantically referred to as the truly untamed Africa.

It is possible that some people may not have understood the seriousness of reported elephant killings. And this could emanate from their ignorance about what The Selous is all about, its history and beauty and central role it plays in Tanzania’s conservation practices and tourism development. Why is it called that name any way?

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Selous, at 50,000 sq. km., is the largest game reserve in Africa and covers about six per cent of Tanzania's land surface. For those who know a little about the legendary eco-miracle Serengeti, also in Tanzania, The Selous is four times bigger. It is famous for its elephants, hosting more than 50% of the entire population in the country. It is on record for having the largest number of buffaloes in Africa equivalent to about 25% of the entire world population. So, killing the elephants is killing The Selous itself because that is what it is world famous for. The Selous is also graced with big cats like the lion and leopard besides other game like antelope, eland, zebra, giraffe and wildebeest.

Its location in southern Tanzania, coupled with the presence of the great, meandering and rather unpredictable Rufiji River, makes The Selous not only home to many crocodiles and hippos but also one of the last untamed wilderness areas on the African continent.

With more than 350 bird and 2000 plant species, The Selous is just close to a heavenly sanctuary. It is a holiday destination whose attractions can be enjoyed by vehicle, boat or on foot. For anybody longing for a quiet and exclusive experience, The Selous is just right. Its low altitude allows the visitor to enjoy starry nights and unique sunrise and sunset sights.

The Selous is divided into several blocs, four of which have been reserved for photography tourism. The rest are for hunting and walk safaris.

History tourism lovers may find it difficult to leave The Selous. Slave and ivory caravans from the Africa interior to the coast met in The Selous. Famous explorers like Speke and Burton, Thompson and Pfeil and Benedictine missionaries were there.

Tanzania's nucleus for anti-colonialism struggle can be traced to The Selous in the early twentieth century famous Maji Maji Uprising, which was wrongly put in history chronicles as Maji Maji Rebellion.

The Selous was site of the First World War. A German cruiser, Koenigsberg, was sunk by the British Navy in the Rufiji River where it awaits the visitor to read the European history written in The Selous. The game reserve derives its name from a British soldier-cum-hunter, Frederick Courtney Selous, whose body lies in the reserve. Together with him lie many German and British soldiers, giving rise to the question as to why these cousins had to leave their countries only to die and be buried in the remotest place of remote Tanzania in remote Africa. Otherwise, why should the German army leader Lettow Vorbeck have mourned the death of an enemy Selous saying "if there ever was such a thing as a gentleman's war, this may well have been one of the last examples."

The Selous can be reached by air, by road and train from Dar es Salaam. It has first class lodges and camps from where game drives and boat trips can be arranged. All camps have airstrips.

It is all this that should help one to come to grips with the magnitude of the threat that poachers’ activities in The Selous are posing not only to Tanzania but also to the SADC and Great Lakes regions and the world. The reported Selous elephant carnage is an affair worth world attention.

But efforts must start on the ground in Tanzania itself. Here is an area of big interest for national and international wildlife conservation agencies. If countries within the SADC region talk of cross-border trade, they might as well consider trans-boundary wildlife conservation programmes. Wildlife constitutes a very important stock in trade for their tourism business.