The Tsetse Fly was the Creator of the Savannah Wildlife Parks in Uganda

The Tsetse Fly was the Creator of the Savannah Wildlife Parks in Uganda: A tragic event in Ugandan History made way for Savannah Parks’s creation, and remarkably, the Tsetse Fly was the Creator of Uganda Wildlife Parks as we know them today. Most of the Savannah Parks came into being after those living there died or were taken elsewhere by the British Colonial era authorities.

The dreaded Rinderpest disease wiped out many cattle during the same period. A different cause in returning vast areas of the Western Rift into the wilderness.  

Vast areas in western and northern Uganda became a wilderness without people. The wildlife there began to multiply and spread on what was now an open range. Areas such as the now Murchison Falls Park, the Semliki Valley, Queen Elizabeth Park, and Lake Mburo Park were now a land without human inhabitants, just wildlife.

What happened in Uganda was repeated in other East African nations such as Kenya and Tanzania. The disease-carrying Tsetse Fly did not only create savannah parks in Uganda but all-over East Africa.

Visitors worldwide come to visit Uganda and the Tsetse fly-created parks. Yet very few, if any, know the story as to how the gardens were created.

The Tsetse Fly was the Creator of the Savannah Wildlife Parks in Uganda:

When you drive across the savannah on a game drive in one of Uganda’s National Parks, you do not think about how the park was created. You have no clue that there were once thriving villages of pastoralists who tended their cattle on the grasslands in this wilderness. Three hundred thousand people lived in the various parks. Between 1902-1910 over 200,000 people were wiped out by sleeping sickness brought about by the Tsetse fly.

The English Colonial government took advantage of this tragedy of human history that had visited the Western Rift people. Today, its established wildlife reserves are some of Uganda’s major parks, such as Queen Elizabeth Park, Kazinga in the old days, Murchison Falls Park and Semliki National Park, and Lake Mburo Park.

In the 21st Century, we can take some simple steps to avoid getting bitten by the Tsetse fly –you will not find Tsetse flies in Kampala. There are not as many Tsetse flies are not as many as there were, and they do not carry sleeping sickness (I had the blood sucked out of me by one, and I am still around ten years later) – avoid wearing black or blue shirts during the daytime. 

Wear long-sleeved shirts (when I was bitten, wearing a long-sleeved jean shirt – stick to Khaki shirts – no shorts. Insect repellent containing DEET does not work.  The Australian product RID has many enthusiastic fans claiming that it works against Tsetse flies and Mosquitoes – you can buy it online from various stores.

Tsetse Fly was the Creator of the Savannah Wildlife Parks – The savannas of Uganda that you are enjoying were because of over 250,000 people’s tragic deaths. The same was repeated in other East African Nations.

Use a good Insect Repellent such as the Australian RID:

Fight the good fight against Tsetse Fly bites using an insect repellent that works against Tsetse Fly attacks. 

Prevention is better than treatment for diseases caused by Tsetse Flies. Buy a good mosquito repellent in your country containing a minimum of twenty percent Deet.  You want a product that will last for at least four hours before reapplying.  Use it liberally before activities such as Hiking, Primate Tracking, Nature Walk, and Game Drives.

Not all insect repellents will work against tsetse fly attacks. We recommend the highly effective against Tsetse Fly attacks, Australian product RID. It is highly effective against insects such as Mosquitoes, including Tsetse flies.  It is also effective against those annoying flies you encounter during gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla Park. You can buy it online if you do not live in Australia.

We gain nothing by recommending RID, except that our clients who bought it online or in Australia are okay pleased with the results from the product’s protection on a Safari.

You can buy many products, including some herbal ingredients for home remedies. Many of them do not stand up to the test on Safari.