Parque Nacional Garamba (selo) Sítio natural, considerado Patrimônio Mundial, tombado pela UNESCO, em 1980. Aqui encontramos a subespécie girafa-do-congo ou Kordofan Giraffa camelopardalis congoensis ou antiquorum

Um dos parques mais antigos da África, foi criado pelo decreto de 17/03/1938?, ocupa uma superfície de 492.000 hectares (4.900 sq.km), ao norte de Faradje, próximo à fronteira sudanesa, na Província Oriental (região nordeste do país).

Obs.: O parque foi criado em 1943, pois há uma série (abaixo) sobre o seu cinquentenário...

Localização geográfica: 3°45'-4°41'N, 28°48'-30°00'E

Contiguous on the northeast with the proposed Lantoto National Park in Sudan. In the DRC, surrounded by three hunting areas totalling about 1,000,000ha: Reserve Azande (no oeste), Reserve Mondo-Missa (no leste) e Reserve Gangala na Bodio (no sul).

Esse parque é composto de vastas savanas onde, assim como no Parque Virunga (com excessão do ocapi e o sanglier gigante ou hylochère) vivem todos os grandes mamíferos, inclusive animais raros como os rinocerontes-brancos, a girafa e o elande de Derby. Nele podemos encontrar ainda uma estação de domesticação de elefantes africanos - única do mundo!

Endereço: Conservateur Principal, Parc National de la Garamba, Nagero, BP 141, Isiro; Institut Congolese pour la Conservation de la Nature, 13 Avenue des Cliniques, BP 868, Kinshasa 1.

It is the only place in Congo with a population of the endangered sub-species Northern White Rhinoceros e a girafa-congolesa. The park's immense savannahs, grasslands and woodlands, interspersed with gallery forests along the riverbanks and the swampy depressions, are home to four large mammals: the elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus and above all the white rhinoceros. Though much larger than the black rhino, it is harmless; only some 30 individuals remain.

O último senso de população de girafa ocorrido no parque, constatou entre 200 a 300 animais (Environmental synopsis, 1993). Deste parque, uma GIRAFA “QUASE” ALBINA foi observada!

Este cartão-postal não mostra a girafa-congolesa...

Brief description – Immense savannahs, grasslands and woodlands, threaded with gallery forests along river banks and swampy depressions, protect a wide range of animals, especially the four large mammals, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus and above all the endangered northern white rhinoceros. This is much larger than the black rhino, and only some thirty individuals remain. It is one of the world’s twelve most threatened animals.

Threats to the Site – The Park was placed on the List of the World Heritage in Danger for the first time between 1984 and 1992 because of a serious decline in the white rhinoceros population. After measures taken by the World Heritage Committee, IUCN, WWF, the Frankfort Zoological Society and the national authorities, the population recovered from fifteen to around thirty-five animals. In 1996 because of decimation of rhinos, heavy poaching and destruction of infrastructure resulting from the civil war in Sudan. The civil disorder in the east of the country led to widespread attacks on the Park's infrastructure. Equipment was looted, several staff deserted and the site was returned to the List of World Heritage in Danger. Threats to the Park will not be overcome until there is law and order in the area. However, the remaining staff are once again resisting poaching threats effectively.

Fauna – The park contains probably the last viable natural population of square-lipped or Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni). O elefante is a unique population representing an intermediary form on the cline between the forest and savanna sub-species (L. africana cyclotis) e (L. africana africana).

Other mammals include northern savanna: girafa-do-congo (occuring nowhere else in Zaïre), hipopótamo, búfalo, hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel), kob (Kobus kob), waterbuck, chimpanzé, olive baboon (Papi anubis), colobus (Colobus sp.), vervet (Cercopithecus aethiops), de Brazzas (C. neglectus) e outras 4 espécies de macacos, duas espécies de otter, cinco espécies de mongoose, golden cat (Felis aurata), leopardo, leão, warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus), roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) e seis outras espécies de antílopes.

Visitors and visitor facilities – The Park is remote and its facilities need both renovation and promotion. There was visitor accommodation at both Nagero and Gangala-na-Bodio. Construction of pontoons, improved roads and maintenance, development of the rangers stations, a controlled grass burning regime to improve visibility and good interpretive material should facilitate visitors use of the park. But after the civil disturbances in both the DRC and Sudan, income from foreign tourists virtually ceased (Karesh,1996).

Garamba is famous for the African Elephant Domestication Centre at Gangala-na-Bodio, in the south-west of the park where four old trained elephants remain. The Garamba Rehabilitation Project caught more young elephants to be trained for visitor use, and a successful tourist operation was tried, using saddles for elephant-back safaris which could become a unique attraction (Hillman-Smith,1989).

Conservation value – This area of savannah, grassland and woodland, interspersed with gallery forest and swampy depressions was established primarily to protect the northern white rhinoceros and northern savanna giraffe, also elephant and hippopotamus. The variety of its habitats is the reason for the wide diversity of other wildlife.

Emissões filatélicas sobre o Parque Nacional Garamba

Em 02/04/1984, enquanto ZAIRE, o país emitiu uma série de 8 selos sobre os animais selvagens do parque. A série completa foi desenhada pelo belga André Buzin. Os selos (Scott: 1216/1223, Yvert: 1146/1153) mostram:

(146k)

1. Elans de Derby (10k) 2. Águias Ravisseurs (15k) 3. Servais (3z) 4. Rinocerontes-brancos (10z) 5. Leões (15z) 6. Phacocheres (37,50z) 7. Outardes Koris (40z) 8. Grues Couronnes (40z)

Abaixo, uma folhinha de 5 linhas (Scott: 1222/1223) com vinheta que demarca a localização do Parque Garamba.

Em 1993, comemorou-se os 50 anos de fundação do Parque Nacional de Garamba. Então, foi emitida uma série de 5 selos postais (Yvert: 1395/1398, Scott: 1403/1407). Os selos mostram: elande, elefante, elande, rinoceronte-branco e bongo. Desta série de 1993, o selo com elefantes com valor facial de 50Nk (Scott: 1404), foi sobretaxado em 1994, com 200Nz (Scott: 1431).

PÁGINAS RELACIONADAS:

BÉLGICA – UNESCO – CONGO – OCAPIS

Última atualização: 05/09/2008.

PARQUES E RESERVAS AFRICANAS PARQUES DO CONGO