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Addo
Elephant Park was proclaimed in 1931,
as a safeguard for the last 11 wild elephants
roaming the area. It is now home to over 350 elephants
and numerous other species. Addo Elephant Park
was so successful that it started to get overcrowded,
so surrounding land needed to be acquired. With
local co-operation, adjacent farms were purchased
and the new Greater Addo National Park
will soon cover 1.2 million acres (492,000 ha).
This
will become an extraordinary park, because the
terrain will go from the dense inland valley
bushveld of the Sundays River, all the way until
it reaches the sea. It will also include a 296,500
acre (120,000 ha) marine reserve encompassing
islands containing Africa's largest populations
of penguins and gannets.
This park will be one of the few places on earth
containing the 'Big 7'; elephants, lions, buffaloes,
leopards, rhinos, whales and great white sharks!
ANIMALS
& BIRDS
Elephants
are wondrous creatures to watch especially at
a waterhole. Some facts about elephant's digestion
may help to demonstrate why the dung beetle
is so important to this park ,and why rangers
were very worried about their decline.
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adult elephant deposits upwards of 330 pounds
(150 kilos) of dung every day - about one consignment
every 15 minutes. Prior to the expansion of the
park, this meant that the dung beetles had an
enormous clearing up job, and they were just not
coping. The flightless dung beetle is found almost
exclusively in this park (other dung beetles can
fly), and are important to the ecology of the
area.
No
citrus fruits may be taken into Addo as elephants
have such a craving for them, that one whiff of
an orange could send them crazy, and could mark
the end of you and your car. The cruellest irony
is that the region has many citrus groves - which
is an unkind twist of fate for the Addo elephants!
Black-backed
jackal are commonly seen in Addo, and evenings
are punctuated by their strident howls. Cape buffalo,
black rhino, kudu, eland, red hartebeest and springbok
all graze on their preferred grasses or bushes
and highly adaptable leopards are there but rarely
seen. With the consolidation of the land expansion,
lion will be reintroduced to complete the 'Big
Five'.
Furthermore,
with the park now stretching to the shores of
the Indian Ocean, whales and dolphins will swell
the viewing opportunities.
Addo’s birding opportunities are accentuated
by the contrasting habitats of dense thickets
interspersed with open grassy areas and wooded
kloofs. Look out for martial and crowned eagles,
olive bush shrikes, yellowthroated warblers, Cape
batis, black korhaan and secretary birds. |
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SEASONS
This region's temperate climate is influenced
by the Indian Ocean, providing rain in equal measures
throughout the year.
Spring: Spring is in the air
by the end of August and into September. October
gets much warmer with the feeling of summer around
the corner.
Summer: November to March are
hot, and temperatures peak from December to February
at around 75°-86°F (24-30°C) or more.
Autumn: Temperatures start cooling
down from about April but it can still be very
pleasant until June.
Winter: June, July and August
are mid-winter months but the days may still be
bright and warm, but it gets cold in the evening.
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ADDO
SPECIALITIES
· Elephants
· Flightless dung beetles
· Black rhino
· Raptors
· Unique
· Private lodges and national
parks chalets
FACTS
Addo is approximately 45m (73km) from the major
Garden Route city of Port Elizabeth.
This is a non malarial area
Contact Details: South African National Parks
- telephone: +27 12 343 1991, fax: +27 12 343
1905,
email: reservations@parks-sa.co.za
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