The Historic Kruger National Park
The first game reserves to be declared in South Africa were Hluhluwe and Mfolozi, in 1897, and in 1898 on the 26th of March President Paul Kruger signed a proclamation for the founding of a government game park in the eastern Transvaal.
Thus, the Kruger National Park was named after him, and came into existence.
The park has three main vegetative areas; "a grassy, rather sour thornless parkland in the West; a strip of bush willow parkland with sweet grazing in the centre; and on the eastern side a dry acacia savanna parkland with sweet grazing.
" Providing habitats of considerable difference for many forms of wildlife.
Unfortunately, the area had attracted sch intensive hunting by man that it became apparent that without protection, none of the wild would survive! For human life, the area was one big booby-trap.
Riddled with Malaria, Bilharzia and an infamous flying insect named the Tsetse Fly, no humans could settle in the area.
A few African refugees from neighbouring countries tried their hand at making a life there, but the Tsetse Fly devoured their livestock and Bilharzia threatened their lives.
Fortunately, the area was well explored.
Paths in the area was blazed out by all sorts.
From poaching ivory hunters, to founders of the new world like Louis Trichardt, Johannes van Rensburg and Hendrik Potgieter.
In 1873, gold was found at Spitskop, and traveling on the Old Wagon Road soon became a chapter of it's own in the story of South Africa.
A Hungarian entrepreneur named Alois nellmapius formed a transport company in 1875 and started to experiment with exotic draught animals such as Mules, Camels and Donkeys in the hope that the Tsetse Fly would have no effect on them, but alas.
They died as quickly as the African's livestock.
Thus the solution was found in the building of railway, this 'evolution' of the area left the Old Wagon Road to rot.
(The railway was opened on January 1, 1895.
Finaly, it was proclaimed a game park.
Full protection would allow no further hunting of the wild in the Kruger National Park, but, like the cruel, desperate animals they are, poachers continued to hunt these animals for their teeth, horns, hides etc, as they stil do today.
The police sergeant at Komatipoort was given the task of looking after the 4000 sqare kilometer area, but there was no further development before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer war in October 1899.
Today the park is a great 2,000,000 hectare!
Thus, the Kruger National Park was named after him, and came into existence.
The park has three main vegetative areas; "a grassy, rather sour thornless parkland in the West; a strip of bush willow parkland with sweet grazing in the centre; and on the eastern side a dry acacia savanna parkland with sweet grazing.
" Providing habitats of considerable difference for many forms of wildlife.
Unfortunately, the area had attracted sch intensive hunting by man that it became apparent that without protection, none of the wild would survive! For human life, the area was one big booby-trap.
Riddled with Malaria, Bilharzia and an infamous flying insect named the Tsetse Fly, no humans could settle in the area.
A few African refugees from neighbouring countries tried their hand at making a life there, but the Tsetse Fly devoured their livestock and Bilharzia threatened their lives.
Fortunately, the area was well explored.
Paths in the area was blazed out by all sorts.
From poaching ivory hunters, to founders of the new world like Louis Trichardt, Johannes van Rensburg and Hendrik Potgieter.
In 1873, gold was found at Spitskop, and traveling on the Old Wagon Road soon became a chapter of it's own in the story of South Africa.
A Hungarian entrepreneur named Alois nellmapius formed a transport company in 1875 and started to experiment with exotic draught animals such as Mules, Camels and Donkeys in the hope that the Tsetse Fly would have no effect on them, but alas.
They died as quickly as the African's livestock.
Thus the solution was found in the building of railway, this 'evolution' of the area left the Old Wagon Road to rot.
(The railway was opened on January 1, 1895.
Finaly, it was proclaimed a game park.
Full protection would allow no further hunting of the wild in the Kruger National Park, but, like the cruel, desperate animals they are, poachers continued to hunt these animals for their teeth, horns, hides etc, as they stil do today.
The police sergeant at Komatipoort was given the task of looking after the 4000 sqare kilometer area, but there was no further development before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer war in October 1899.
Today the park is a great 2,000,000 hectare!
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