Generally the news from Sudan is grim. The civil war that is raging in the Darfur region has taken the lives of uncounted thousands of victims. But from southern Sudan, which is relatively peaceful after a compromise was reached in 2005, comes good news. A wildlife survey, the first since the 1980's, shows that large numbers of herbivores have escaped destruction and are migrating in massive herds. These animals were thought to have been wiped out in decades of civil war. Conservationist Michael Fay conducted the survey. He says that the herds are even larger than the ones in the Serengeti and "could represent the biggest migration of large mammals on Earth". The aerial survey revealed that there may be more than 1.2 million antelope, gazelle, ostrich and other animals. Despite there numbers, they still need protection from poachers armed with automatic weapons, returning refugees and oil development. Thanks to Reuters for the photo of elephants in the Sudd wetlands.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Good News from Sudan
Generally the news from Sudan is grim. The civil war that is raging in the Darfur region has taken the lives of uncounted thousands of victims. But from southern Sudan, which is relatively peaceful after a compromise was reached in 2005, comes good news. A wildlife survey, the first since the 1980's, shows that large numbers of herbivores have escaped destruction and are migrating in massive herds. These animals were thought to have been wiped out in decades of civil war. Conservationist Michael Fay conducted the survey. He says that the herds are even larger than the ones in the Serengeti and "could represent the biggest migration of large mammals on Earth". The aerial survey revealed that there may be more than 1.2 million antelope, gazelle, ostrich and other animals. Despite there numbers, they still need protection from poachers armed with automatic weapons, returning refugees and oil development. Thanks to Reuters for the photo of elephants in the Sudd wetlands.