History of Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East National park is Kenya’s attractive safari destination. Tsavo East national park is larger than Tsavo West national park that covers an area of 13,747 square kilometers. Both the parks are separated by the A109 road and the railway that runs from Mombasa to the capital city Nairobi. The park is located in the semi-desert area of Taru, close to Voi town in Taita-Taveta County.
The park was established in 1948 such as to conserve and protect the wildlife in Taru desert. Tsavo East national park was named after the famous Tsavo River that is the main drainer of the park that flows to both Tsavo East national park and Tsavo West national park. Tsavo East national park borders with the Chyulu Hills national park and Mkomazui Game Reserve in Tanzania. The park is protected and managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service that is the government body in charge of tourism in Kenya.
Tsavo East national park is majorly dominated with the open savannah grassland that is short that offers the excellent of game viewing compared to Tsavo west national park; whereas Tsavo west national park is majorly known for the volcanic hills with the springs and water holes.
On a wildlife safari in Kenya the park has the big five mammals that includes the buffaloes, rhinos, lions, elephants and leopards; and the park hosts the large population of the Red Dusty Elephants. However during the game viewing experience you can spot the zebras, antelopes, topis, hartebeests and many others without forgetting over 500 bird species that includes the kingfishers, weaver birds, Lovebirds, Common bul bul, and among many others.
Tsavo East national park is known for the old stone age and middle stone age archaeological sites, though there is a small evidence that explains from the late stone age that dates back in 6000 to 1300 years back, then according to research the evidence shows that the late stone age is fund around the famous Galana River, and this shows that the people of long time ago used to settle around that water bodies and its known that these were mainly hunters and fishermen. It’s also known that there were Arab merchants traded with the locals that used to leave in Tsavo East national park majorly for ivory from the elephants and rhinos, that’s where the connection of the railway was constructed for easy moment to the Kenya to the coast.
During 19th century, the Germans and British explores as well settled the area and documented the Orma and Watha people, then later in 19th and 20th century, the British started laying their tools for colonizing Kenya and started constructing the railway to the interior for easy access to the entire Kenya. During the construction, two of the workers were killed by the man-eating lions.
Thus Tsavo east national park history made it to gain its nickname ‘’Man-eaters park’’ due to the man-eating lions. The park’s history says that the Orma pastoralists were the early inhabitants till 1948 when the park was gazetted. The local Orma people and their livestock were displaced with the Watha people to Voi and this was done by the colonial masters. And this made some to stay in Mtito Andei and others to Taita Hills. When Kenya gained her independence in 1963 the president banned hunting completely, as the park was under the management of Kenya Wildlife Service and the locals.
In 1948 the government of Jomo Kenyatta started receiving tourists from worldwide and during 1970 the park’s was disrupted by poaching that led to the decline of Rhinos and elephants. Then during 1990’s started gaining its elephants, rhinos and all the big five mammals that makes it the popularly and mostly visited because of the variety of wildlife compared to Tsavo west national park.