The Great Wildlife Migration

A ll the twists, tragedies         about 5 hours to reach by road.    and drama of the Great          For a 45 minute foray to the       Wildebeest, Zebra and           Mara, flights can be taken twice   Gazelle migration take place in       daily from Wilson Airport          the pristine 1510 sq km expanse       Nairobi.                           that is the Maasai Mara in Kenya.                                        Tragedy because some of the           The large eco-system sustains,     hundreds of thousands of              among other animals, a wildebeest  herbivores migrating inevitably       population of at least 600,000,    fall prey to a number of              more than 200,000 zebra and at     predators that ambush and track       least 350,000 Thomson gazelle.     them as they trek and gallop on       These three species of herbivores  the scenic landscape of the Mara.     form the large grouping that       The Maasai Mara and adjacent          makes annual movements through     Loita Plains make up the northern     the ecosystem from the Serengeti   most portion of the extensive         plains in Tanzania to the Maasai   25,000km Serengeti-Mara               Mara in Kenya in search of fresh   ecosystem. Rainfall in the Maasai     grass. This spectacular movement   Mara falls almost all year round      is what is referred to as “The     and consequently the Mara             Migration.” The spectacle of       receives the highest rainfall in      hundreds of thousands of these     the entire Serengeti-Mara             animals moving together through    ecosystem. Rainfall peaks usually     the sea of grass must rank as the  in December, January and April        greatest wildlife display on       and so lush grasses remain after      earth.                             the Serengeti plains down South                                          have dried up.                        Wildebeest herds usually assemble                                        in the grass plains of Serengeti   The Masai Mara is located about       during the wettest season of the   270 km from Nairobi and takes         year when there is sweet new       grass and small pools of water        On reaching the woodlands, the     formed by the rain. There most of     herds spread out but continue      the females give birth and calve      moving in response to rainfall     , all within a few weeks, in what     and the availability of foliage.   has come to be known world over       The first of the wildebeest        as "The Rut". As nature would         usually turn up in the Mara in     have it, the grass and rainwater      June or July and most stay         pools dry up early in the dry         therein until late October or      season and the wildebeest move en     early November. The herds attract  bloc through the savannah and         ravenous pack of predators,        towards the Western frontier.         particularly hyenas and lions,     Within the enormity of the            and thousands of the lame, slack   Serengeti, the wildebeest lift        and sick never finish the          their goateed heads, sniff the        pilgrimage. Some breathe their     air around and, as if by one          last by drowning or by the         accord, begin the long but            powerful jaws of the crocodiles    rewarding trek towards the Kenyan     that lay about calmly but burst    border. As the pastures diminish,     into action once the animals       the herds shift into the northern     plunge into the chocolate Mara     Serengeti woodlands and then pour     and Talek Rivers, a barrier that   into the Maasai Mara.                 they must cross to get to the                                            pasture.                           Zebras follow a slightly related,                                        but not quite similar movement.       Once the Mara's grass has been     Thomson's gazelle also migrate,       devoured and rains in Tanzania’s   but only as far as the edge of        Serengeti have brought forth       the woodlands. The routes taken       juicy tufts of grass, the          by the herds vary from year to        wildebeest leave the Mara          year but the general pattern of       following various routes, slowly   the migration remains the same.       at first then with increased       momentum. The cycle repeats           Impala, the nocturnal Bat-Eared    itself from start every other         Fox, the Roan Antelope, Thomson's  year.                                 and Grant's gazelle, Topi, Zebra,                                        Giraffes, Coke’s Hartebeest,       The ‘resident’ Wildebeest found       Hyena, Cheetah, Lions, Leopards,   in the Loita plains adjoining the     Rhino, Buffalo, Wild dog, Jackal,  Mara, make seasonal movements         Hippo, Kongoni, Eland, Monkeys     between the Loita plains in the       and Ostrich can be viewed all      wet season and the Mara in the        year round in the Mara. Over 450   dry months.                           species of birds including 50                                            species of birds of prey have      The Maasai Mara is the dry season     been recorded in the Mara. They    refuge for close to 1,000,000         include Vulture, Widow bird,       animals.                              Secretary bird, Crowned Crane,                                           Red-billed Ox Pecker, Ostrich,     Being on safari and driving in        long-crested Eagle, Pygmy falcon,  the wilderness in the midst of        Scale francolin, hornbill,         these great herds is an               African goshawk, Fiscal hike,      unimaginable experience. A once       Yellow-throated long claw,         in a lifetime experience.             Marabou, White-backed vulture,                                           and Prowl plovers.                 In July, August and September,                                           the Mara grasslands are teeming       This combination of a mild         with migrating Wildebeest and         climate, picturesque magnificence  Zebra but there is much resident      and untold numbers of wildlife     wildlife in the Maasai Mara all       makes the Masai Mara in Kenya's a  year round. Elephants, Cheetahs,      most popular inland destination.   About the Author: Becky Jean is editor of Vacations East Africa. You can find more information about Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya safaris, as well as hotels and lodge bookings, on the website. Published At: www.Isnare.com