Lake Natron - a favorite place for flamingos

In the northern part of Tanzania, there is a unique lake Natron. The water in this pond is always warm and quite salty. In the south-east of the lake is the volcano Helai. Natron is located near the Kenyan border. Water resources are the Nyiro River and thermal springs rich in minerals.

general characteristics

The depth of the lake is constantly changing and very dependent on the season. The average depth of the pond is small - about 3 meters. In summer, there is a strong evaporation, sharply increasing the concentration of salts and other minerals (especially sodium carbonate). The water temperature can reach +50 ^o C, and the alkalinity ranges from 9 to 10.5. Because of the large variety of biological organisms, Natron is ranked among the regions of international importance.

Mysterious red color

A frightening red color can be seen only on those parts of the lake where the greatest evaporation is observed. Lake Natron is so salty that a large amount of cyanobacteria is formed here. As a result of photosynthesis, these bacteria turn red, and even in the places of their most extensive concentration, even water is colored. In shallow water the water has a pinkish hue.

Climate of the region

The climate in the lake area is very severe. It is very hot here, and the air is too dry and dusty - such conditions do not at all contribute to tourist trips. The area around the reservoir remains unoccupied, but recently a lot of tourist bases have appeared around it.

Nathron is the cradle of civilization?

Thousands of years ago, in the area where Lake Natron is, lived hominids, who are considered distant ancestors of modern man. Now near Natron there live a few tribes of sala from the genus massa. The given community lives at the expense of cattle breeding, driving animals along the lake in search of pastures. To feed themselves, local aborigines sell milk, meat and animal blood.

Quiet harbor of the flamingo

Lake Natron in Tanzania is the habitat of a rare species of small flamingos. This species of birds lives only in the area of this pond. The pond became a favorite place for flamingos not by chance: its soda- rich waters are scared away by its pungent smell of predators, which allows birds to feel safe. At the height of the season, about two million pink flamingos fly here to create offspring. In 1962 as a result of heavy downpours there was a flood, as a result, about a million eggs of flamingos were destroyed.

Lake Natron: statues

A couple of years ago, the lake was visited by the popular photographer Nick Brand. He was horrified when he saw horrible statues of petrified animals all over the pond. Later Brand learned that these were really real animals, petrified as a result of the strongest alkaline concentration in Natron.

Nick Brand suggested that a mirror image in the water confuses birds, and they rush into it and perish. True, scientists do not share the views of the photographer and put forward a more realistic theory. They believe that the birds actually die by their death, and the water in the lake ishes their remains. Since Natron is very rich in mineral salts, animal corpses harden and remain so forever.

In fact, Brand already found them dead in the water and himself planted them as if they were frozen on a branch or "floating" on the water. These gloomy photographs flew around the world and made Lake Natron even more famous.

These shocking images of calcified animals and many other photographs taken in Tanzania and other African countries, Nick Brand included in his book, which is dedicated to the tormented planet Earth.

Recreational opportunities and environmental problems of the region

On the adjacent areas to the lake there are two permanent luxury camping sites and several mobile adventure camps. One of the camps is in the valley, with a picturesque view of Mount Kilimanjaro. Here you can hunt mountain buffalo, herenuka, oryx, lion, hyena, white antelope, zebra, leopard, caracal and other animals. If the killing of animals is not for you, then you can go to the photosafari.

Until recent decades, the lake Natron (photo of the reservoir is really shocking) remained a zone with a unique ecosystem. However, the Tanzanian government now intends to build a plant to extract soda ash on the shore , and the construction of a hydroelectric power station is planned on the Nyiro River. If the plans of the authorities are implemented, this will lead to a violation of the imbalance of the animal and vegetable world in the lake. Many public organizations have already expressed their protest against the government's intentions to build industrial facilities in the region. For the time being, it is not yet clear whether construction will still be conducted or not. Still, I would like to hope that the natural resources will be a greater priority for the Tanzanian government than the economic benefits.