These photos were taken a few days ago of the Great Wildebeest Migration. Over 1 million animals cross the Mara river from the Serengeti in Tanzania in order to find better grazing in the Masai Mara of Kenya. It comprises mainly of wildebeest but also has a sizable amount of zebras.
This first photo shows the animals entering the fast flowing waters upstream of their planned exit point, aware that the current will sweep them down steam. The river at this point is shallower, meaning they do not have to swim much, but it is therefore faster flowing. You can see how wet the rock on the far bank is, constantly soaked as the animals who have successfully crossed shake themselves dry.
This picture shows the successful crossing of this group of animals. They cross as a herd, knowing that the crocodiles wait for lone animals either crossing by themselves or swept downstream. This way the crocs are in less danger of being injured by the flailing hooves of the animals. In the bottom right of the photo you can see two marabou storks waiting and watching for a carcass to be washed to the shore for them to feast on.
In the next group, some of the animals get buffeted and knocked over by others. The bottom of the river is stony and uneven, meaning that the animals slip and slide, losing their balance and bumping into each other.
Once knocked into the water the current quickly sweeps the wildebeest away and they struggle to get back to the shallower crossing point. If one of the animals breaks its leg at this point, it is doomed. You can see the carcasses of several wildebeest who couldn’t get back and whose bodies are now snagged on rocks in the shallows.
Those who get swept further downstream into the deeper water have a bigger threat to contend with than just the rocks and other struggling animals. Here are the crocodiles, waiting for a meal to arrive.
And when the wildebeest are washed to them, they attack the smaller ones, grabbing then high up to await the hooves and dragging them under the water to drown and then eat.
Meanwhile, at the crossing point, the main body of animals cross successfully, following the rest of the herd into the new grasslands where they will fan out and enjoy the long grasses left after the end of the long rains in June.
The Migration is actually not an annual event but something that happens all year. This vast number of animals is constantly in search of new grazing and follows a circular tour that takes it through the Ngorongoro Highlands in Tanzania, across vast swathes of the Serengeti and into the Mara.
It is the river crossings that are, however, the most spectacular and which every July/August/September attract many wildlife enthusiasts. Some of the main crossing points can get very congested in peak season with vehicles, meaning that knowledgeable local guides taking you to more out of the way places can greatly enhance your enjoyment of what is one of Natures Greatest spectacles
