The Great Migration - Masai mara
THE MASAI MARA MIGRATION OF WILDEBEESTS:
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.
Maasai Mara Wildebeest Migration
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