Tree of Tenere: The most isolated tree in the world that was killed by a driver

New Delhi: On a trip to a desert and need a shelter? Imagine you find a tree while walking many miles, but suddenly, you see it hit by a vehicle. This might look like some reel story, but it has happened in reality: a single tree survived for several hundred years in the desert. A truck driver hit the tree that gave shelter for ages. The truck driver, as per several reports, was drunk and managed to hit the only obstacle in the 800 km (500 miles) stretch of the wasteland. In this article, let us tell you about the most isolated tree in the world, the Tree of Tenere, Niger.

Tree of Tenere

A forest of trees once populated Niger, but by the 20th century, desertification wiped out all, but one tree stood tall. The Tree of Tenere, as it was called, had no companions for over 400 kilometres in all directions. The tree’s roots had reached nearly 40 metres deep into the sand, becoming a sacred object among the nomadic Tuareg people. The Tuareg people never used the tree for firewood or allowed any animal to graze it.

How did the tree bloom in the harsh environment?

The secret to the miraculous tree’s survival was discovered when a nearby well was dug. The surface of the desert was a wasteland, but the Tenere tree’s roots reached over a hundred feet underground into the water table.

A landmark on military maps

Desert explorers discovered the shockingly hardy plant, which became well-known and was included as a landmark on European military maps during the 1930s.

The demise of the tree

The tree that stood for years was still hit by a car twice. The first time, between 1939 and 1959, a military truck backed into it and broke its branches, while for the second time in 1973, a truck driver, who was allegedly drunk, just ploughed right into the tree and broke its trunk. Not even its incredible roots could save it from its eventual demise.

Museum

The tree is still alive. It has been kept in a museum and placed in a mausoleum. A simple metal sculpture was erected where the Tree of Tenere had grown, marking the spot where a genuinely remarkable tree had stood against all odds for so long.