A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania – book review
By Gabriel Thoumi A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania provides the most up-to-date guidebook for trekking in Tanzania. It includes detailed species accounts and delightful photos of 135 of the larger mammals of Tanzania. It is the first book to include both marine mammals and recently discovered species of Tanzania. While Tanzania has over 340 recorded mammal species, over 200 of these are rodents, bats, and shrews. For...
Meet the baby kipunji: first photo of little-known monkeys’ offspring
By Brandon Allen A Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) infant was just born in Tanzania this month, an important addition to the critically endangered monkey species. The Kipunji is the first new species of monkey to be discovered since 1923. Originally scientists had assumed that this unique primate was a mangabey, an endangered population of Old World monkeys that live in African rainforests. However, DNA tests revealed that the Kipunji...
Photo: abused cheetahs returned to the wild
An adult cheetah, which had been smuggled and abused for the illegal pet trade, returns to the wild in Tanzania. Photo by: Annette Simonson. Few people realize that cheetah’s, one of Africa’s great cats, are a target of the global wildlife trade. Yet these speedy predators are sought as exotic ‘pets’, especially in the Middle East. As apart of this illegal pet trade, three adult cheetahs were recently seized at...
Activism: alternatives to the Serengeti road
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The NGO Serengeti Watch has released a petition urging the Tanzanian government to cancel plans to build a road through the northern portion of Serengeti National Park, which scientists say will hugely impact the...
Last chance to see: Visit Tanzania before “The Migration” is destroyed
With the government bent on building a road that scientists say will reduce the wildebeest herd by 500,000 animals, 2011 is the year to visit Tanzania to witness one of the world’s most incredible wildlife spectacles: the migration of more than a million wildebeest, zebra, and other animals across the Serengeti.
Activism: alternative route would save Serengeti from road
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Wildebeest herd in Tanzania. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. The Tanzanian government is planning a road through the Serengeti despite protests from scientists, conservationists, and tourism companies. Opponents warn that the road bisecting the ecosystem will imperil the Serengeti’s...
