For the past three-hundred years, the Masai tribe of East Africa have inadvertently been the protectors of the Serengeti. It's not done out of love for wildlife, but out of preservation of the their own culture, and a way of life that co-exists with the animals. Their fierce warrior have prevented neighboring tribes from moving into the Serengeti.
In this episode, Jean will hike the Serengeti's Western boundary with a Masai friend to look at their contribution to the parks history. Today the Serengeti is recognized as one of the most important animal habitats in the world.
From there, Jean will look at it's more modern guardians, the Frankfurt Zoological Society who help manage the park. Jean will join in a census of the parks animals, fifty years after the first census was carried out by the famous father and son team from Germany. Their study lead to the re-drawing of the parks boundary enabling the migration to be protected. Their book about the Serengeti put the place on the map, and a documentary the son made won the Academy Award in 1959. The son Michael was killed in a plane crash in the Serengeti during filming of the movie.
Looking towards the next fifty years, Jean would look at the impact tourism is having on the park and the Masai.
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