Akagera National Park is a protected area in eastern Rwanda covering 1,122 km2 (433 sq mi) along the international border with Tanzania. It was founded in 1934 and includes savannah, montane and swamp habitats. The park is named for the Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into Lake Ihema and several smaller lakes. The complex system of lakes and linking papyrus swamps makes up over a third of the park, which is the largest protected wetland in Eastern-Central Africa.
Akagera National Park was founded in 1934 by the Belgian government, which at the time occupied Rwanda. The park was 2,500 km2 (970 sq mi) large and was known for its biodiversity.
Akagera used to have a large population of African wild dogs.[1] At one point, it was known as the ‘Parc aux Lycaons’ and wild dogs were so abundant, that the Belgian government considered it a pest. However, a disease epidemic diminished the population and the last wild dogs were seen in 1984