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African Sermon Safaris Booking tour. Wildebeest migration Safaris, Maasai Mara
migration safari : Maasai Mara wildebeest migration: Wildebeest Migration
Serengeti-Maasai Mara: Gnu Migration: Serengeti Wildebeest migration Safaris
Maasai Mara migration.
P.O. Box 51322 - 00200, Nairobi,
Kenya. Website:
www.continentalsafaris.com
tours@continentalsafaris.com
Tel: +254 20 2244 068; Fax: +254 20 317 656; Mobile: +254 722 884 748
"The seventh greatest wonder in the world". It is now officially known
through out the world. Many have come back time and again. They have
witnessed this mass movement of wild animals roaming free through
unspoiled and savage wilderness. The air fills with the click- click of
the cameras tirelessly. You have not seen something like this before.
Africa is changing at a quick pace and human encroachment into the
wildlife reserves has continued to erase the traditional routes. In
association with development and changes of the way of life, the image of
wildlife roaming free is slowly getting erased. Fortunately, Masai Mara
National reserve holds on to its charisma of an open, limitless land. It
is one of the places in Africa that still prides in wildlife
concentration.
Masai Mara is located in the South-western of Kenya, 290 kilometers from
Nairobi. The abundance of wildlife and the remoteness of the reserve
implants memories that no money can buy. The Migration is a recent
phenomenon (60's and 70's was the biggest boom) with about 250,000
individuals. Gradually, with time the number has risen to the current
population of over 3,000,000 individuals. Add to it an estimated 1,500,000
Zebras and the result is one of the most magnificent scenes in the world.
The massive display attracts hundreds of big cats as the populations
provide abundant prey. The giant African crocodiles lie in wait,
patiently, as the big herds come to cross the river or to drink. It is the
Maasai community who are not so pleased with the whole phenomenon. The
wildebeests compete with their huge herds of boran cattle for the
grasslands. To them, it is a big calamity especially because the
wildebeests transmit diseases to their herds and poison the waters with
their fetal sacs.
This world famous migration is a circle of life which, in simple terms,
means that there isn't a start or an end. Only where the herds are located
at a particular time. The big determinant is the
availability of pastures. The plains of Ngorongoro Conservation Area in
Serengeti are a favored spot as grass abounds and the wildebeest find a
safe place to graze. It is also here that over 500,000 new calves are born
and many are taken by the nearby waiting Jackals or Hyenas. New born
calves have little time to strengthen their legs. As soon after birth, the
“pilgrim" continues. By April, the rains are over in southern Serengeti
and the plains have dried up. The great herds then gather and face the
long march northwards and westwards. The natural lawn mowers abandon the
exhausted grasslands of southern Serengeti to head for the already tall
grass of the Western corridor, near the shores of Lake Victoria.
The pioneers of the migration movement are the majestic herds of zebras.
They prefer the long
stems of the coarse grass. This way, they leave behind shorter grass which
is favored by the wildebeests. In late June to July the mass start
pouring into the Kenya Masai Mara reserve where fresh, tender and
mineral-rich grass is already waiting. Here they meet the resident Mara
populations which add up to about 150,000. Also commonly referred to as
the Loita plains herds, they spend most of the season northeast of the
Mara. When it gets dry, they pour into the interior of the Mara in search
of greener pastures.
The migrating herds spend roughly 3 to 31/2 months in the Mara crossing
through Sand River, which is a tributary of the Mara along the boundary of
Kenya and Tanzania. They trek westwards and cross the Mara river and
sometimes the Talek river. Usually around this time heavy rains on the Mau
Escarpment (origin of Mara River) fill the Mara river to the brim. This is
a good time to watch the trunk-looking Crocodiles, while they await the
forthcoming feast.
Finally, the gnus (wildebeests) venture into the river. This gregarious
coordinated behavior of the herds, usually teamed with zebras, creates an
unimaginable scene. Just what the cameras have been waiting for.
They wander along the river looking for a convenient crossing point. This
is a moment filled with tension for both the gnus (wildebeests) and the
audience. They survey for a less steep and with no obvious danger.
Finally, one takes courage and plunges into the river and magically the
rest falls onto the footsteps and in one organized line cross the river.
In addition to the crocodiles, accidents also occur. The river’s current
can be too strong for some especially the young ones. Or simply getting
stuck between the rocks in the river and breaking limbs, a direct ticket
to the jaws of the giant crocodiles. Finally, the crossing is done and the
trek to their unknown (or known)
In the month of October, they are already heading to Serengeti where the
rains have treated the southern grasslands to lush, green carpet of rich
grass. Once again, they are heading to the southern plains, where a new
generation will be born to start the cycle of life all over again.
