Mago National Park

I believe that in every national conservation strategy the one thing to avoid is to have National Parks in which pastoralists are grazing their animals, this just leads to continuous conflict between the interests of the pastoralists and the wild animals the park tries to protect. The Mursi, pastoralists, live in the Mago National Park. Although various sources, including our guide, claim that there are still many mammal species inside the park, we only saw very few, a dikdik, a klip springer and two kudus, a adult kudu and a young (interpreted by our guide as a Greater Kudu and a Lesser Kudu).The fact that the Ethiopian government is now constructed a major road through the park, won’t help either.

Yet the park, mostly bush and savannah country, mostly flat, supports at least a fine bird population, which we enjoyed, on the way back from the Mursi. They didn’t mind being photographed, some even posed for the camera, it seemed, and all for free.

(1) entrance to the park

(2) Mago river, near Mago Bridge, one of the nicest picknick spots - I have no idea why you are not supposed to visit around here, none of the guides and guards objected

(3) Mursi village on a slope in the park, and for good measure they have also nurned flat the area around the village

(4, 5) all sorts of wildlife, and to be pretty doesn't necessarily mean to be big

(6, 7) although, as a bird, it helps to be big; the top one I have no idea what it is, never seen anything like that before, the bottom one was sitting right next to the road, not disturbed by tourists at all