The Great Wildebeest
Migration
Millions of wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra and Thomson’s gazelle migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti
to the Masai Mara in Kenya each year. The herds make the trip with food and water in their mind. On the offset of rain and the herd push forward.During this period,
they become prey to predators.
As a matter of fact,it is estimated that around 20,000 zebra and 200,000 wildebeest perish in the trek,
mainly smaller ones. This may be attributed to the fact that when it comes start running the wildebeest just keep on running never minding that the young ones are being left behind. This is just one of many wildlife encounters to witness when you visit to East Africa
Serengeti is usually the place where the migration starts. It usually starts around February when more than 300,000 calves are born.This is because Serengeti's soil and grass is rich in nutrients thus give's their calves the best milk.The reason why they prefer Serengeti is because of the shorter grass which means predators can't hide in them as opposed to the taller grass in the maasai mara.
Drying up of Serengeti starts on April thus grass is gone and the herds go west as they follow Grumeti River. When Grumeti River runs low this is often by June and the herd starts their journey back to Maasai Mara.
When they reach Maasai Mara they start crossings so if one wants to see the migration is the best month will be August,but it requires patience as it a wait we see kind of a situation an if luck is on your side you might see four crossing in a day with crocodiles trying to feed as much as they can on the wildebeest.
0 comments:
Post a Comment