World’s Most Isolated Tree Survived Centuries in Sahara Dessert- But Couldn't Withstand Human Recklessness

Sharing the planet with other living creatures is an avenue the human race has struggled to make peace with. As we continue to burden the Earth with material and inanimate objects, we erase the planet’s history as the creations perish bit by bit. A similar story manifested in 1973 when a lone acacia tree, standing as the only one in about 250 miles of the Nigerian Sahara desert through generations, was uprooted due to mere human recklessness, per Treehugger. 

The solitary tree stood as a wonder for the local nomad tribe, the Tuareg people of Tenere, and the exhausted travelers, who resorted to it for a moment of breath and enjoyed the cool shade in the midst of a barren desert. It was also a distinct landmark in the route of long caravans passing through the desert as no other vegetation existed as far as eyes could see. The locals revered the tree and eventually the outsiders too as European military campaigners named it L'Arbre du Ténéré (The Tree of Tenere). The wondrous tree came to be known as the world’s most isolated tree and was estimated to be around 300 years old. Originally, it belonged to an ancient grove that once existed in the region before it got transformed into a desert throughout hundreds of years. 

In 1939, the isolated acacia tree caught the attention of France’s Commander of Allied Forces, Michael Lesourd. He wrote in a letter, “What is its secret? How can it still be living in spite of the multitudes of camels that trample at its sides?” He pondered over why the caravaners or Touareg did not break off the tree’s branches to brew themselves some tea or that the camels never chewed on its leaves or thorns. “The only answer is that the tree is taboo and considered as such by the caravaniers,” he added. Lesourd marveled at the graciousness of several passersby in leaving the tree alone in its existence.

However, the secret to its long life soon came out. The tree stood 10 feet tall while its roots were ingrained deep, about 100 feet, into the soil reaching the water table for its nourishment. Smart as human beings are, a well was dug up later to provide refreshments to the weary travelers of the desert. A tree that withstood the harshest of weathers through history somehow was killed at the hands of human error. A truck driver on the path of the old caravan route carelessly collided with the revered acacia tree and halved it from its trunk in 1973, as stated by an anonymous report. 

The blunder was made by an unidentified driver said to be drunk at the time of the collision. Yet, the locals were determined to treasure the sacred tree and relocated its remains to the National Museum of Niger in the capital city, Niamey. The skeleton of the tree was engraved in a mausoleum decorated like a holy site whereas the originating spot of the acacia tree was also marked with a metal tree-like sculpture against the backdrop of sand and dunes. This historic incident is only a speck in the larger scenario of human activity destroying the natural relics of time and the environment. It is imperative that humans stop and reflect, even for a moment, to estimate the consequences of their actions and how the planet may be responding to them.