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THE MASAI MARA MIGRATION OF
WILDEBEESTS:
P.O. Box 51322 - 00200, Nairobi,
Kenya. Website:
www.continentalsafaris.com
tours@continentalsafaris.com
Tel: +254 20
244 068; Fax: +254 20 317 656; Mobile: +254 722 884 748
The Wildebeest arrive at the Mara River around July and cross over onto the
Masai Mara plains. The wildebeest remain here until October, when they
return to Tanzania. Gazetted in 1961, the Reserve is located west of the
Rift Valley and is a natural extension of the Serengeti plains. The Mara
River, the reserve's backbone, traverses north to south. This river course
is the natural barrier crossed every year by the large herds of wildebeest
and zebra during their migration.
May & June
In late May, the herds leave the Western Corridor for the northern Serengeti
plains and woodlands. The fresh, tender and mineral-rich pastures on the
other side of the humans' border, in Masai Mara, are the irresistible bait
for the animals to finally invade the Kenyan reserve, an event which usually
starts in late June to early July. The troops coming from the south meet
here another migratory contingent: the resident wildebeest herds of the Mara
region. These animals reside in the Loita Plains and Hills, northeast of the
Mara, until the dry season brings the tougher days and it is time to seek
the evergreen Mara basin.
July to October
Throughout the month of July, the herds cross the Sand River, a mostly dry
tributary of the Mara which roughly follows the boundary line between Kenya
and Tanzania. The parade takes the eastern sector of Masai Mara, surrounding
the Keekorok Lodge area. The trek follows westward, leading the herds to
face the major challenge along their quest: crossing the Mara river and
frequently also its tributary, the Talek. By then, the rains at the Mau
Escarpment, where the Mara rises, have fed the stream to its highest levels.
The steep banks are populated with trunk-looking basking crocodiles that
seem almost to be expecting their annual banquet. The operation of fording
the river is the most delicate along the migration, and as such seems to
plunge the gnus in a state of anxiety that only relieves when the whole herd
has crossed. The trekkers walk along the left (eastern) bank of the Mara
looking for a suitable point to cross. There are plenty of preferred
crossings along the course, which are easily identifiable by the lack of
vegetation, the depressed slopes and the deep grooves carved by the animals'
hooves. These are the most secure places to ford the river, those that
ensure a minimal mortality. Nonetheless, the apparent programming of the
whole process sometimes seems to collapse, and the nervous herds
occasionally choose places where the banks are too steep and many of the
animals break their legs down the cliff or fall flat into the waters. The
herds gather at the suitable points and wander around nervously, their
grunts sounding loud in the air. Eventually, one animal takes the lead and
approaches the rim, scanning the opposite edge to analyze if any danger
awaits after the crossing. When it finally dives into the stream, this seems
to haul the rest of the herd. More animals follow in a single line across
the river, while the lagged ones throw themselves towards the stream until
the rearguard pushes the troops to a frantic race that ends up with some
animals trampled to death, lying aside the course. Along the boreal summer,
the crossings repeat over and over, and the survivors graze peacefully on
the Mara Triangle grasslands unless disturbed by the early-morning and
late-evening hunts of lion and cheetah, the latter preying on the calves.
By October, the rains are heading south back to the Serengeti. This is when
the pace of the march reverses, bringing the herds to face once more the
quest for the southern grasslands. The rite of fording the river is again
part of nature's call. In the last days of October, the migration heads
towards the vast plains of the southern Serengeti, where a new generation of
calves will be born to start the cycle of life all over again. Normally the
route is down the eastern side and the pace is fast. Quite often a million
animals can be seen stretched out.
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