What Animals Are in Arusha National Park? Arusha national park is located in the Northern part of Tanzania standing at elevated area of about 4566 meters above the sea level in Arusha region. This national park was established in 1960 with the main purpose of protecting and conserving the area because of its wildlife. More so, Arusha national park covers a total surface area of about 137 square kilometers . The Park is being managed by the Tanzania National park Authority is which is the government organization that has a responsibility of protecting all the national parks. Arusha national park is small but it is recorded that the population of about 66,808 people visit per year because it has rich biodiversity and it surrounded with beautiful landscapes and is a home to various wildlife species which are considered to be among top tourist attractions in the park which lead many people to travel from different parts of the world to tour around the park and some of these animals include the following below;
Wildlife in Arusha National Park.
- Giraffes; exploring within Arusha National park can give you chances to spot giraffes because this game park is a home to both the Masai giraffes and other elegant reticulated giraffes. More so, these giraffes are characterized to be gentle giants that are usually seen while they move through the grasslands around the park as they search for food.
- Zebras; this park is a home to many zebras and these species are beautiful plain with distinctive black and white stripes. Tourists can always sight see these species while they graze within the open areas around the park.
- Warthogs; more so, tourists can see the warthogs while touring around the park and these species are commonly characterized because of their facial warts and tusks and be seen while they foraging around the grasslands searching for food.
- African Elephants; within Arusha national park the population of the elephant species is not large as that in other game parks like; Tarangire national park or Serengeti national park. However, individuals that are lucky will be able to get to spot these majestic animal.
- Hippos; the fact that the hippos that are rarely spotted within the park not like other animal species but this national park is also a home to large population of hippos which can be easily seen in lakes and rivers. Therefore, to get high chances to see these species, tourists can embark onto boat cruises, which gives them opportunities to explore well on water and then get to see the hippos.
- Leopards; more so, Arusha national park has a healthy population of leopards and these species are known to be elusive cats that can be hardly seen loitering around the park due to their stealthy nature.
- Buffalos; there are also large herds of African buffalos that are found within the park. These species are famously known for their strength and these formidable animals are commonly spotted near the water sources within the park.
- Hyenas; Hyenas are one of the unique species that are found within the park. In addition, tourists are advised that in order to see these species in large numbers they can tour around the park during early in the morning or late evenings which is the best time when hyenas go for scavenging and hunting.
- Arusha national park is a home to various numbers of antelopes and this park also acts as a good natural habitat to many other species such as; duikers, bushbucks, waterbucks, mongoose, dik dik, porcupines, bush bucks and many others which are usually spotted while they browsing and grazing around the park. More so, this national park is a home to primate species like; blue monkeys, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys that are usually spotted while they swing through the trees. There are also various reptiles such as; crocodiles, monitor lizards and this park hosts a wide range of insects of insects and butterflies which makes it a haven for entomology enthusiasts.
Apart from the wildlife species, Arusha National park is also seen as a birders paradise due to the fact that it harbours around 400 bird species and some of these birds include; crowned eagle, flamingos, kori bustard, greater flamingo, grey crowned crane, lilac breasted roller, Namaqua dove, little egret, common ostrich, secretary bird, Hartlaub’s turaco, grey breasted spurfowl, African green pigeon, white faced whistling duck, marabou stork, scaly francolin, Egyptian goose, Hamerkop, African cuckoo and many others. more so, exploring in Arusha National park blesses tourists with great opportunities to participate into interesting activities such as; bird watching, wildlife viewing, game drives, canoeing, hiking, mountain climbing to Mount Meru, guided nature walks and many others.