Wildebeest Into The River
Look it up on National Geographic…wildebeest (also called gnus) migrating between Tanzania and Kenya, crossing the Mara River. That’s what I witnessed on my...
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Look it up on National Geographic…wildebeest (also called gnus) migrating between Tanzania and Kenya, crossing the Mara River. That’s what I witnessed on my recent trip to Tanzania. More than 1.5 million of these 600+ pound beasts, related to antelopes, and their young follow the seasonal rains in search of food and water in an enormous loop, sometimes called the Great Rift Valley, crossing many rivers, the biggest and most treacherous of which is the Mara River. For most of their lives, wildebeest graze in the grassy savannas and open woodlands of the plains, which straddle the nations of Tanzania and Kenya. The migration is so stupendous it’s called on of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Every year, more than one million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras complete this 480-kilometer (300-mile) migration loop.
We watched 3 crossings of thousands of wildebeest. They would take huge jumps off 20+ feet dirt cliffs into an often very swift Mara River. There would be huge boulders. They’d often be crowded together and often find the crossing difficult, particularly for the young. The crocs were usually waiting. They would come out the other side of the river exhausted and keep walking. Since the migration is a huge loop, young were born along the way and expected to cross the river and make the long walk while very young.
As we traveled through the Serengeti in Tanzania, the landscape we saw was peppered with huge herds of wildebeest, often as far as the eye could see. More than once, we could see long lines of these huge beasts, often single file. They’d come to the Mara and group in the thousands. The decision to jump into the river, fraught with hungry crocodiles, seemed to be without reason, although I’m sure there was a reason. There seemed to be a leader who made the first jump or decided to abort that particular crossing, but that wasn’t often clear
The river often had a bunch of hippos in it. They seemed to be there for the view, wondering why. They’re vegetarians so they weren’t going to attack the wildebeest. Maybe they get tickets for the viewing because they did seem awfully curious. Another curiosity is that usually the herds of wildebeests had a few zebras scattered around. The zebras sort of bunched together, and migrated with “their” wildebeest herd, crossing the rivers along with their wildebeest companions.
I’ve seen a lot of sub-Saharan Africa scenes, from the humdrum to the fantastic. This ranks up their with the ultra-fantastic.
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We watched 3 crossings of thousands of wildebeest. They would take huge jumps off 20+ feet dirt cliffs into an often very swift Mara River. There would be huge boulders. They’d often be crowded together and often find the crossing difficult, particularly for the young. The crocs were usually waiting. They would come out the other side of the river exhausted and keep walking. Since the migration is a huge loop, young were born along the way and expected to cross the river and make the long walk while very young.
As we traveled through the Serengeti in Tanzania, the landscape we saw was peppered with huge herds of wildebeest, often as far as the eye could see. More than once, we could see long lines of these huge beasts, often single file. They’d come to the Mara and group in the thousands. The decision to jump into the river, fraught with hungry crocodiles, seemed to be without reason, although I’m sure there was a reason. There seemed to be a leader who made the first jump or decided to abort that particular crossing, but that wasn’t often clear
The river often had a bunch of hippos in it. They seemed to be there for the view, wondering why. They’re vegetarians so they weren’t going to attack the wildebeest. Maybe they get tickets for the viewing because they did seem awfully curious. Another curiosity is that usually the herds of wildebeests had a few zebras scattered around. The zebras sort of bunched together, and migrated with “their” wildebeest herd, crossing the rivers along with their wildebeest companions.
I’ve seen a lot of sub-Saharan Africa scenes, from the humdrum to the fantastic. This ranks up their with the ultra-fantastic.
Read less
Sep, 2018Views
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Elyzabeth
September 28, 2018
This totally blows me away. Now I have seen them panic on TV when there is a predator but I have never seen so many together. You got them in every way possible. As for the obvious talent here, I truly have no words Kay.
Platinum
KayBrewer
November 12, 2018
It was a thrill to see National Geographic in action! They really do what we've seen on tv!
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Forrest_Imagery
October 22, 2018
How cool ! LUCKY YOU !
I'm so glad you were able to see this incredible phenomenon on your trip to Africa
Seeing the Water Buffalo migration is a bucket list item for me.
I love how you captured the full leap of the one in mid-air.
I'm so glad you were able to see this incredible phenomenon on your trip to Africa
Seeing the Water Buffalo migration is a bucket list item for me.
I love how you captured the full leap of the one in mid-air.
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