Livingstone Makuleke Stands Under the Giant Baobab Tree and Talks About the Old Days

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South Africa: The KrugerNational Park

Livingstone Makuleke stands under the giant baobab tree and talks about the old days. 'This is where the chief used to sit', he says quietly. 'The village headmen all came and sat in a circle. This tree was the centre of the Makuleke people and our way of life. Now only animals are allowed here.'

The old way of life ended in 1969, when the white South African government moved all ten villages of the Makuleke tribe and gave the land to the KrugerNational Park. The park was founded in 1898 and was Africa's first game reserve. At the time, Boer farmers were moving into the Transvaal, cutting down trees, clearing the land for farming and shooting animals for food. The British, with their passion for trophy hunting, were killing thousands more, and there were real worries about the future of the great African mammals.

From the very beginning, the park was a success and the numbers of animals rose steadily. It is now one of the world's greatest conservation areas. Stretching across 20,000 square kilometres, it is bigger than many countries. It has many large mammals that are either endangered or extinct in other parts of Africa.Over 2,000 white and black rhinoceros and huge herds of elephants roam about, as do Cape buffalo and antelopes, lions, cheetahs and leopards. It has over a million visitors every year, making it one of 30 the country's top destinations.

Under a new agreement, the Makuleke will now have the chance to benefit from the park. Their land has been given back to them, and they will have theright to manage it.They will not goback to livethere, butinstead, they willbuild two luxury game lodges and a cultural 40 museum beneath the baobab tree. They will also beable to visit their ancestors' graves, which is a veryimportant part of their culture.

In this way, the animals will still be protected in the park, and the tribe will benefit too. The future of the 45 park and the future of the Makuleke tribe will once again go hand in hand.