Wildlife in Tsavo East National Park is abundant. The park is one the largest and oldest conservation areas of Kenya, known for its large numbers of cats(Lions). The park used to be one whole, however it was divided into the eastern and western side by A109 highway which was constructed to connect two busy city centres of Nairobi and Mombasa, it was gazette together with its counterpart the Tsavo west National Park in 1948, Tsavo East National Park has had a bad history of man eating lions during the construction of the East African Railway however the park has for years since then been one of the most visited places and safe.
In Tsavo East National Park, there once lived a very special elephant called Satao. Many people also called him Sato, by mistake, but everyone knew who he was. He was one of the biggest elephants in Kenya and had long, heavy tusks that nearly touched the ground. Sato was loved by many people, and park rangers watched over him to keep him safe. Sadly, in 2014, he was killed by poachers who wanted his ivory. This made many people very sad because Satao was not just any elephant—he was a symbol of Kenya’s wild beauty. Even today, when people visit Tsavo East and see a big elephant walking through the red dust, they think of Sato, the gentle giant.
Wildlife in Tsavo National Park is the center of attraction in the national park, it is nicknamed “the theatre of wildlife”. This diverse sea of animals live within the different ecosystems given their size, which ranges from open savannah grasslands with scattered shrubs and small bushes. The eastern side of the Tsavo is flatter compared to the western region, it comprises of the Yatta Plateau which is one the longest lava flows in the world, the Aruba dam, a man-made water point intended to keep water for animals during the dry season.
Tsavo East National Park is home to a variety of animal species living within the biodiverse environment. Examples of these species include African elephants, buffaloes, elands, giraffes, waterbucks, hippos, crocodiles, topis, elands, wild dogs, wildebeests, banded mongoose, cokes hartebeests, ground pangolins, common genet cats, blue duikers, cheetahs, lions, leopards, rhinos to mention a few. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded in the park for example Fischer’s starling, African harrier hawks, red-bellied parrot, martial eagles, black-faced sandgrouse, and ostriches among others.
Wildlife in Tsavo East National Park is concentrated around water sources, for example, the Aruba Dam, which is a man-made hole constructed to provide water for animal species during the dry season, in the open savannah is filled with animal species with the highest concentration of animal count and along the permanent and seasonal rivers of Galana and Athi, these are great spots to view wildlife while in the National Park.
Wildlife in Tsavo East National Park is encountered while doing tourism activities for example game drives, these are the primary activities of the conservation area, they are conducted in sessions, in the morning, afternoon, and evening times in search of the game through the well-distributed trails of the park, the park is one of the few places of the country where doing night game drives is allowed in search of nocturnal species. Birding in Tsavo East National Park is rewarding expect to view several birds.
Wildlife in Tsavo East National Park is best seen during the dry season between the months of December-February and June-September when the trails of the park are much drier and easy to access, the grasses are shorter and animals gather around water sources.
In conclusion, wildlife in Tsavo East National can be seen any time of the year, there is abundant wildlife and great sites of animal species.