Page 82 - World of Animals - Issue #33

Wildlife of the African savannah

Unsafe sanctuary

There are multiple definitions of ‘savannah’, population has boomed more people encroach goats prevents further vegetation growth and

but most agree that they are areas of African upon wild territory, and more people want to can render the environment a barren desert.
grassland that receive between 300 and 1,500 visit it too. Carbon emissions teamed with the Earth’s
millimetres (12 to 60 inches) of rainfall per year. With an influx of humans comes a plethora natural temperature increase leave grasslands

There are just under 14 million square kilometres of problems. Open land has been claimed with less water. Without water grasses won’t
(53 million square miles) of savannah remaining. for use in agriculture, leaving less room for grow, leaving large herbivores nothing but trees
Since 1960, 2.2 million square kilometres wildlife and removing water from the wild. to eat. Without trees to anchor the soil in place,
(85,000 square miles) has become populated Grazing land must be irrigated, and soil quality it can simply blow away and nothing else will be
by humans whereas before it had fewer than quickly plummets when converted to farmland. able to grow. It’s vital to keep this fragile habitat
25 humans per square kilometre. As the human Constant grazing and trampling from cattle or alive and well or we may lose it forever.

Birds of the bush

The skies of the savannah are host to some truly bizarre and beautiful birds

Lilac-breasted roller African masked weaver Superb starling

Found throughout Southern Africa, these birds This bird is named after the wildly complex These energetic birds congregate in flocks of

feed on reptiles, rodents and even small birds nests it builds. Each takes up to 14 hours to thousands. They roost as a group and fly in
that they spy from carefully chosen perches. construct, woven from reeds and grasses with formation, making ‘swoosh’ noises as their wings

They are extremely agile, and swoop down on the entrance concealed on the bottom. Males are flap in synchrony. Starlings choreograph their
prey before smashing it against the ground to the architects, and each breeding season sees a displays by copying one another to form moving
immobilise it before swallowing. male weaver build 25 identical nests. shapes within the flock of birds.

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