African Jungle

The African jungle is perhaps the most interesting jungle in the world since it is home to a number of rare species of animals both of the mammal and reptile families. Each part of Africa is responsible for hosting different animals that are well adapted to the regions climate.
In West Africa there are many animals that are found in the equatorial climate rain forests. In Cameron for example there are a number of animal species, majority of them being snakes. The snakes are in various shapes and sizes ranging from the small non- poisonous snakes to the poisonous Anaconda, cobra and flesh squeezing python snakes. Examples of jungles in Cameron are, the Dzanga Ndoki national park, Nouabale Ndoki and the Lobeki national park.
In Central Africa region such as the DRC Congo, jungles like the Virunga Mountains and the Kahuzi- Biega national park are famous for hosting the mountain Gorillas. Still in central Africa there is Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park that is famous for hosting the greatest number of primate species such as orangutans, baboons, gorillas, chimpanzees and the mysterious Mandrill Monkey.
The Eastern Africa jungles are different in terms of the species found. In the Eastern Africa region, the species are mostly birds and animals from the cat family. The snake species are not so many as compare to the western region but they do have a considerable number of the species of snakes.
The only jungle not mentioned now is the Southern Africa jungle region which is blessed in many ways. First it is lucky to have the largest variety of animals in the world. It is even home to the smallest tortoise in the world the speckled padloper which is only 8.5 cm long, and the largest land tortoise which is the Leerugsea mountain tortoise that weighs up to 40 kilograms when fully matured. The forest grasshopper otherwise termed by many as the praying mantis is commonly found in these jungles, and it used to be a symbol of holiness for the San/ Khoisan people.
The African jungle however has its own fair share of problems that threaten the livelihood of the animals in the habitat. For example through massive logging and deforestation, the animals’ habitat is continually threatened. The source of their food is destroyed leaving them starved, eventually they die. The problem of poaching also threatens many species of the African jungle. The Gorillas are poached for fur to make mink coats and jackets, the snakes to make shoes, the heads of chimps as hunting trophies and also the frogs for scientific exploration. Violence, civil wars or ethnic battles are also threats to the animals. Those displaced by wars move to forests thereby diminishing the natural resources without any measures taken upon them, the rebels hiding in the forest chop down trees to build hide outs without taking into consideration the lives of the animals already dependent on the forest for survival.

Measures should be taken by respective countries to protect these jungles otherwise both the animals and the forests will become extinct in the long run affecting the tourism sector that many African economies depend on for sustaining the lives of their citizens.

Africa Safaris