The Selous is known in swahili as Shamba ya Bibi – literally translated as “women’s garden”. It has the largest number of several species of animals found in a single reserve anywhere in the world.
The Selous ecosystem encompasses a wide spectrum of wildlife habitats including open grasslands, miombo woodlands that cover three quarters of the reserve, and riverine forests. As a result of its unique ecological importance, the Selous was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982.
Selous was the son of a chairman of the London Stock Exchange, Born in England in 1851, he bacame a noted naturalist, conservationist and big game hunter. He was killed in 1917 while a Captain leading a detachment against a German position.
Flora / Fauna
miombo woodland, open wooded grassland, riverine swamps
Habitat
African Wild Dog, Elephant, Cheetah, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Buffalo, Crocodile, White Rhinoceros
largest game reserve in Africa; 350 bird species
Additional information
STATISTICS | Elephant – 65,000, Buffalo – 110,000, Hippopotamus – 40,000, Lion – 3,000, The endangered African Hunting Dog – 1,300 |
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