When it comes to the great wildebeest migration it’s difficult to fully comprehend the scale of such an event. This is an epic annual ritual involving more than 1.5 million animals that sees the often underappreciated wildebeest show its true tenacity, and ferocious will to survive against all odds.
It is a staggering journey of more than 1000km (621 miles) that includes countless dangerous river crossings that challenge these animals’ constant battle for survival as well as gruelling meanderings across the plains that led through a perilous gauntlet of waiting predators.
Quite simply, there is nothing else on Earth that comes anywhere near the majestic splendour of great wildebeest migration.
Each year, one of the most extraordinary natural shows on Earth takes place in East Africa. The Great Wildebeest migration is an undertaking of breathtaking proportions – a sight quite unlike and one that remains with anybody lucky enough to witness it long after the event.
Over 1.5 million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of zebras, gazelle and impalas make the daring 480 kilometre migration loop through Tanzania and Kenya. Crossing treacherous rivers where crocodiles lurk, vast open plains where lions hungrily stalk the young. It is a staggering journey – an unmissable experience.
When Dutch colonialists first marvelled at these immense creatures, they named them ‘wildebeests’ which literally translates to ‘wild beasts’ – and if you’ve ever seen their shaggy, unkempt appearance you can see why.
Fossil evidence suggests that wildebeests began grazing on grasslands in the region more than a million years ago. Countless hooves have trodden this earth across a dizziness number of generations, and while they may not appear to be the most intelligent creatures, they come with an innate drive to undertake one of nature’s great journeys every year.
No one knows what triggers the great wildebeest migration. Is it the rain, or is it some instinctive call only the wildebeest can hear? The rains may seem the obvious cause, but naturalists and scientists alike have never been able to pinpoint the precise reasons.
Perhaps part of the magic is that we don’t know the answer – one of nature’s great mysteries that remains beyond our grasp. Whatever the exact reason, the call must be strong enough for the wildebeests to risk a journey year on year that is often fraught with danger.
When the 1.5 million-strong herds make their way across the plains, they appear oblivious to the tourists hovering on the edges, marvelling at the spectacle as these shaggy creatures take centre stage for the greatest show on earth.
Whether it is true grit or pure instinct that drives them, the wildebeests’ commitment to the journey is unwavering as they make their way to the river crossings that form part of the circular route.
The great wildebeest migration is a roughly circular route that encompasses Tanzania and Kenya while including two of the most spectacular nature reserves in Africa, Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and the Masai Mara in Kenya.
The annual migration heads south during the rainy season. The heat haze distorts the landscape as the sun pounds the earth. A growing number of wildebeests and zebras flood the plains and it is a time of relative calm for the herds – but not for long. South of the Serengeti, everything is about to change.
The herds move in a broad clockwise direction from the southern Serengeti, through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Grumeti Reserve into the north of the Serengeti.
They then leave Tanzania briefly via the Mara River Crossing to pass through the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which borders Serengeti National Park, before heading back south to start the journey again.
Tragically for the herds, much of the route is fraught with danger and for the many hungry predators on the route, the migration offers the chance to feast. Crocodile infested rivers lie across the route, while lions and other big cats stalk the plains. And the hyenas are no laughing matter either.
As the wildebeests head across the Serengeti, they are joined by great herds of gazelle and zebra. Their strength lies in their numbers as it is much harder for a predator to launch an attack on a mass stampede of animals.
Together they will walk and run over 1000 km (621 miles) in the coming months, twice crossing the Tanzanian and Kenyan border. Starvation, disease and exhaustion result in many deaths along the route, providing a veritable feast for opportunistic creatures such as vultures and hyenas.
Migrating herds regroup at the rivers and the streams, instinctively aware that a river crossing provides one of the most serious challenges of the entire migration. The banks are steep and the water level often low, and even a stampeding herd doesn’t always deter the crocodiles. The powerful reptiles simply wait for a straggler to be separated from the herd, often from the ranks of the elderly beasts or the newborn, which are easily disorientated in the chaos.
These creatures are the most vulnerable, an easy meal for the river-dwellers.
And the herd doesn’t wait for those who get lost or are tired. Mother Nature created an unsympathetic camaraderie to ensure the survival of the toughest, at the expense of the weak and the frail. The African bush is a beautiful but harsh environment for those who dwell in it.
