Yangudi Rassa National Park

Description

Yangudi Rassa National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Afar Region, its 4730 square kilometers of territory include Mount Yangudi near the southern border and the surrounding Rassa Plains, with altitudes from 400 to 1459 meters above sea level. Sandy semi-desert and wooded grassland cover the majority of the park's area. This Park lies between the territory of the Afars and the Issas, and while violence have been frequent between them, most of the park happens to be in an area where they avoid each other. As a result, most of the active protection of the Park is focussed on maanging their conflict.

This national park was proposed in 1977 in specific to protect the African Wild Ass, but the steps needed to officially establish this park have not been completed as of 2002[update]. The park headquarters are in Gewane. large animals endemic to the park include Beisa Oryx, Soemmering's and Dorcas gazelle, gerenuk and Grevy's zebra. Bird species of interest include Phoenicopterus minor, Petronia brachydactyla and Ardeotis arabs. The Awash - Asseb highway crosses the Yangudi Rassa National Park, as does the Awash River.