Tsavo

Region of Kenya

Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, close to where it meets the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River.[1] Two national parks, Tsavo East and Tsavo West are located in the area.

The meaning of the word Tsavo is still unclear, but because of tribal conflicts, the Kamba people used to refer to the region as the place of "slaughter". Until the British put an end to the slave trade in the late 19th century, Tsavo was continually crossed by caravans of trans-Saharan slave traders and their captives.

Flora and fauna

Typical flora of the region includes:

  • Acacia
  • Myrrh
  • Baobab

Typical fauna of the region includes:

  • African bush elephant
  • Giraffe
  • African buffalo
  • Gazelle
  • Klipspringer
  • Kudu
  • Leopard
  • Lion[1]
  • Cheetah

Cultural depictions

Tsavo has many myths and legends such as The Ghosts of Tsavo, which tells of two brothers, The one of the Ghost, and the other of The Darkness. It was said that these brothers will forever be reincarnated as two lions.[citation needed]

The 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness depicts a fictionalized account of the Tsavo Man-Eaters, which were killed by John Henry Patterson in 1898.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Patterson, B. D. (2004). The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters. McGraw-Hill. p. 29. ISBN 0-07-136333-5.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/man-eaters-of-tsavo-11614317/

  • Field Museum of Natural History – Tsavo Lion Exhibit
  • Guide to resources related to the Tsavo Lions at the Field Museum Library
  • Journal: man-eaters of Tsavo – Natural History, November 1998 (via FindArticles.com)
  • Man-Eating Lions Not Aberrant, Experts Say – National Geographic News, 4 January 2004
  • Tsavo National Park

02°58′00″S 38°28′00″E / 2.96667°S 38.46667°E / -2.96667; 38.46667


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