Souss Massa National Park

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Souss Massa National Park
Oued Massa
Oued Massa
Souss Massa National Park (Morocco)
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Coordinates: 30 ° 5 ′ 0 ″  N , 9 ° 40 ′ 0 ″  W.
Location: Souss-Massa , Morocco
Next city: Agadir
Surface: 340 km²
Founding: 1991
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The Souss Massa National Park ( Arabic منتزه وطني سوس ماسة, DMG muntazah waṭanī Sūss Māssa , Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⴼⵔⴰⴳ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⵙⵓⵙ ⵎⴰⵙⵙⴰ Afrag n Anamur n Sus Massa ) was founded in 1991. It includes the mouths of the Oued Sous and the Oued Massa , which flow into the Atlantic here. The national park is 340 km². It is located on the Atlantic coast in southwest Morocco . North is Agadir , south of Tiznit .

fauna

Mhorr gazelle
Bald ibis

Mammals

In the north of the protected area were in a large fenced area Mhorrgazellen (Nanger then mhorr) , a subspecies of the Dama gazelle , scimitar-horned oryx and Addax , as well as the North African ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) , a subspecies of the African ostriches forms resettled. The Mendes antelope was not at home in the area in historical times, but over 500 animals now live in the large outdoor enclosures (as of 2007). Sous-Massa is home to the largest semi-wild herd of this endangered species, from where the animals are released into the wild in parts of their former range, for example in the Dakhla National Park. The reserve's large enclosures also represent an important population center for the Mhorr gazelle. The Mhorr gazelle has been considered extinct in the wild since 1968. However, seven copies survived in a private collection. From a breeding station in Almería , they were then distributed to various zoological gardens, e.g. B. to Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin. Mhorr gazelles that were bred again came back to Souss-Massa in 1994 from the Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich .

But there are also several species of mammals outside of this fenced-in area, such as the honey badger , black cat , ichneumon (a species of mongoose ), common round-leaf nosed , Atlantic squirrel , North African elephant shrew , Hoogstraal gerbil and Berber striped grass vole . Everywhere on the banks of the Oued Massa one encounters the tracks of the wild boar , which is rummaging through the underground for food. Even the otter has been sighted, but this is unusual. The Cuvier gazelle was once at home here.

Birds

275 different bird species have been recorded in Souss-Massa, both local and migratory birds . Typical species found on the coast, including the white stork , the three species of herons ( egrets , herons and Rallenreiher ), terns , European Roller , Bee-eaters and Barn Swallow . Huge flocks of migratory birds from Europe appear at the mouth of the Oued Massa in winter. Up to 4,000 ducks, especially pintail , shoveler and pochard, are attracted to the wetlands. But also coot , oystercatcher , crane , great crested grebe , gray heron, marbled duck and rusty goose .

In the unused salt pans you can meet stilts , avocets and the occasional black stork and ibis . In 1980 the subspecies Phalacrocorax carbo maroccanus of the cormorant was discovered in the Souss-Massa area. The thin-billed curlew , which is threatened with extinction, has already been observed in the mouth of the Oued Souss . Here the winter also from the Netherlands originating Löffler and the Pink Flamingo . Likewise were Audouin and osprey observed on the marshes.

In the steppe areas, Mediterranean shrike , red-headed shrike , Senegalese chagra , velvet warbler , chiffchaff , tiara redstart , little owl , magpie , palm pigeon , jay cuckoo and the widespread Graubülbül occur.

The driest areas were inhabited by Rennvogel , Triel , Little Bustard and Collared Bustard . Also have been double-spurred francolin and Arabian Bustard observed. The rocky coast is the retreat of the brown-throated sand martin , Eleanor's falcon and Lanner falcon . One of the last free occurrences of the Waldrapps can be found here, which breeds in three breeding colonies from March to September. Because of its rarity and threat, the bald ibis is still listed as critically endangered by the IUCN . However, around 2,000 animals are kept in zoos and reintroduction programs are underway in Austria , Spain and Morocco .

flora

The low-lying coastal area consists of several isolated water lagoons and spits , which are mainly overgrown by narrow-leaved cattails , rushes and foxtail plants. On the elongated dunes one encounters Zypergras and yellow grouse . In the interior of the country there are eucalyptus (imported from Australia ), savannah trees and argan trees , which for example change into milkweed plants . A large area is also covered by succulents , which are only found on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and Mauritania , e.g. B. midday flowers , milkweed , kalanchoe , ragweeds and bean-like yoke leaf . The vegetation of large parts of the steppe-like garigue consists of restockers , sea ​​lavender and herons' beaks .

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