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Information about various wildlife national park safaris in India and Africa. Some of the famous wildlife sanctuaries of India like Corbett National Park, Gir National Park, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Information about wildlife safaris in Africa like Serengeti National Park, Mount Kenya National Park and Lake Nakuru Wildlife Park.

Wildlife safaris are the best way to observe the nature and wild beasts in their natural habitat. It is one of the mediums to explore those regions which inhabitate some of the extincting wild animals, birds and reptiles apart from flora and fauna.

Wildlife Safari In India

India is a vast country and very rich in flora, fauna and avi-fauna. There are a large number of natural parks and wildlife sanctuaries spread over different regions to save the extincting animals and birds. In India, there are three main mediums to enjoy wildlife safaris i.e. Jeep Safari, Elephant Safari and Camel Safari.

Wildlife Safari in Corbett National Park

Corbett National Park is located in the state of Uttarakhand and is the first national park of India. Located on the foothills of Himalayas, the main attraction here is Tiger as it is a Tiger Reserve.

Wildlife Safari in Gir National Park

Located in Gujarat, it covers an area of 116 sq miles and was created to protect the Asiatic Lion from extinction. There are also a number of wild animals in Gir like Sambhar, Bear, Antilope, Chinkara etc.

Wildlife Safari in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

It is located in Kerala and covers an area of 777 sq km. Main attraction of Periyar are Elephants, Tigers, Nilgiri Tahrs and Nilgiri Langurs.

Apart from these there are a number of wildlife reserves and parks in India like Bandipur National Park, Kazhiranga National Park, Royal Chitwan Park, Sundarbans, Kanha National Park etc.

Wildlife Safaris in Africa

Africa is also very rich in flora and fauna and is a habitat of some of the wild animal species which are on the verge of extinction.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

It is one of the most famous national parks of Africa which inhabits a variety of wild beasts, where the main attraction is Zebras.

Mount Kenya National Park, Kenya

It is located in the lap of Mt. Kenya, Kenya’s highest mountain range, and the main attraction of safari is Wild Elephants. Other than this, Zebras and Giraffes are also found here in large numbers.

Lake Nakuru Wildlife Safari

Lake Nakuru National Park is a world heritage site and the main attractions of this wildlife safari are Rhinos, Lions and various species of birds.

Apart from these famous wildlife safaris in Africa, there are some wildlife safaris like Masai Mara Safari, Tembo Safari, Mt, Kilimanjaro Safari, Kruger Park Safari, Chobe Safari etc., which quench the thirst of wildlife adventurers and bring them closer to the nature.

Article Source:http://www.buzzle.com/
African Holiday Destinations Wildlife Africa: http://www.wildlifeafrica.co.za/

Eating wildlife is an important part of feeding the world’s poorest people. But will it drive extinction?

Elephants, gorillas and other large forest mammals may become extinct in central Africa within 50 years if hunting meat to feed starving populations continues at the current pace. Each year, rural peoples consume some 2.2 billion pounds (one million metric tons) of so-called bushmeat from wildlife, the equivalent of four million cattle; the flesh accounts for 80 percent of the protein and fat in their diet.

“If current levels of hunting persist in central Africa, the most vulnerable species will become extinct in the near future,” cautions Nathalie Van Vliet, a researcher at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) based in Indonesia. The problem is, she adds, that “if the people that currently rely on bushmeat as a source of protein in central Africa had to rely on livestock, we would see the same catastrophe that is destroying the Amazon Basin: deforestation for pasture land and livestock raising.”

In fact, there is no simple solution to this problem. CIFOR, in a report released today, argues that a hunting ban would not work, as evidenced by the failure of antipoaching programs, among other things. But it also says that forest species such as elephants, buffalo and apes that are slow to reproduce need to be protected or they will disappear entirely. Already, roughly 40 percent of jungle species are killed in greater numbers than can be regained through reproduction, according to the report “The Bushmeat Crisis.”

The report calls for local agreements that allow hunting of species that can rebound quickly (such as various species of duikers, a type of forest antelope) while nixing kills of species with long gestation periods (such as elephants who give birth after 22 months). This is “hunting that can satisfy the demand from the poorest in future generations as well as ensure the stability in the long-term of hunted animal populations,” Van Vliet says. But she notes the “success” of such pacts will depend on local communities’ willingness to abide by them.

The only examples of such sustainable hunting, however, are either among people who have almost no contact with other human beings, such as the indigenous Aché people in the forests of eastern Paraguay, or those who have already killed off local populations of slow-breeding animals as is evidenced in the bushmeat market in Takoradi, Ghana.

Further exacerbating the problem: illegal and even legal activities in central African forests, such as logging and mining, that carve out new access as well as attract new people who also crave meat. And laws against the wildlife trade have failed to prevent supplies of everything from rhinoceros horns to tiger bones from reaching the estimated $3.9-billion global market.

That suggests that even granting ownership of the common resource represented by a duikers herd might not solve the problem, as some experts suggest. But it also shows that blanket bans are not working either. “In the tropics, they have genuine needs,” says entomologist Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University’s Center for Conservation Biology, who was not involved with this study but has been assessing the problems presented by expanding human population since the 1960s. “There are desperately poor people surrounding reserves. If I was there, I would shoot the hippo and eat it, too.”

Granting local peoples a limited right to hunt while working actively to manage specific populations of animals in the jungle—a task complicated by an inability to determine exactly how large a given population is—may prove the only way to truly conserve, according to the authors of the report, which also includes experts from the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“The question is conserving for whom?” Van Vliet asks. “For rural people that need to survive as well as for urban people that would love to see our fauna in the future—or just conserving for the sake of it?”

Article Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com

Joint-ownership holiday products are becoming popular, offering holidays in prime locations and investments with a good chance of capital security. Pam Golding Fractional Ownership sales manager Jackie Bauermeister says the global economic meltdown has “undoubtedly” caused most consumers to ensure their money is spent wisely.

“No less so those who are able to enjoy leisure time away from home and are considering what kind of product within the property leisure market suits their pocket.”

Bauermeister says each property is owned by 13 shareholders, allowing four weeks’ use per annum per share. The usage plan rotates, ensuring each owner a week in every season, and costs are shared and managed on behalf of the owners.

“Those able to still enjoy leisure holidays away from home will most likely be renting a holiday house or spending time in a hotel. Typically a family of four taking a holiday of say 14 days spends about R28000 and upwards on accommodation,” Bauermeister says.

“The vast majority of these families probably own their home instead of renting it — why rent your holiday accommodation when owning it makes financial sense and with fractional ownership you can do this without any of the maintenance and other hassles associated with second-home ownership.”

She says fractional ownership properties have the ability to appreciate and with the movement in the market, render a short-term rental income when owners are not using the property themselves, while also affording usage and leisure time in a luxury environment.

Each of the destinations can be inter-exchanged which means people can buy at the destination they believe will achieve the best capital appreciation over the next few years while still being able to use the other destinations within the Pam Golding Properties (PGP) portfolio of fractional ownership residences.

“This portfolio provides access to exclusive resort destinations and luxury accommodation that one may not ordinarily be able to afford individually even by purchasing a property outright,” Bauermeister says.

Pam Golding Fractional Ownership has affiliated all its destinations with Platinum Destinations, enabling owners to exchange their weeks of ownership to holiday at other destinations in SA and overseas.

At San Lameer, an established golf and beach resort on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, PGP is marketing fractional ownership in a two-bedroom villa at R275000 per share.

These are right on the lagoon and feature an open-plan design flowing to outdoor areas. They include a surround-sound entertainment system, flat-screen television, air conditioning and a two-seater golf cart.

“During 2008 these two-bedroom units enjoyed excellent occupancy of up to 70% both through owner usage and via the rental pool, which underlines the popularity of this sought-after location,” Bauermeister says.

For those wishing for a vacation in Cape Town with Blouberg’s white, sandy beaches almost on the doorstep, fractional units are available in Horizon Bay, a newly constructed, multistorey complex with a swimming pool and views across the ocean to Table Mountain and Robben Island. They are also priced at R275000 a share.

Article Source: http://www.netassets.co.za
African Holiday Destinations and Safari Tours: http://www.wildlifeafrica.co.za/