#Natron lake skin#

The chicks march together like a walking crèche. Photograph: A Perfect Planet, Screen Grab/Silverback Films 2018 The unconventional mode of transportation was needed to hover the camera crew out to their hides (some of which saw filmmakers knee-deep in salt-laden water that crystalized on their leg hairs) over the razor-sharp soda flats that surround the lake. These plans have since been abandoned by the Tanzanian government in favor of the birds’ protection, who live a life like no other in the strange red waters of Lake Natron.įor A Perfect Planet’s first episode, Volcano, a crew were flown out to Lake Natron with an unusual bit of kit in tow: one hovercraft. It’s the most significant breeding site for Lesser Flamingos ( Phoeniconaias minor) triggering uproar from conservation groups when plans were put in place to build a soda ash factory at the site. Photography copyright Darren Williams/Silverback Films 2019 Life isn't easy for a flamingo chick in Lake Natron. Despite this, a group of flamingos have adapted to breed amid the inhospitable conditions of Lake Natron and now thrive in their millions.

#Natron lake skin#

It would prove a deadly dip for humans, burning the skin and eyes of most animals and spelling death for those who lingered too long. The soda lake gets its causticity from sodium carbonate and other minerals that flow into the lake from the surrounding hills making the water a strong alkaline.