Wildebeest
Migration Wildlife Safaris in East Africa
Kenya's
Masai Mara & Tanzania's Serengeti National Park
Wildebeest
Crossing the Masai Mara River, Kenya
|
Wildebeest
during the Migration in Serengeti, Tanzania
|
Migration
herds in the Plains of the Serengeti National
Park
|
The
Great Wildebeest Migration
Great
Wildebeest Migration View
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The
Wildebeest Migration is a dramatic
story. It takes place within Kenya and Tanzania and
is the greatest wildlife show on earth. Between the
open plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, thousands
of wildebeest and zebras migrate to greener pastures
as the seasons change and the circle of life and death
continues.
Predators
follow the Wildebeest Migration closely, waiting for
an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their
way into different territories.
Wildebeest
Migration Safaris in Masai Mara - Kenya
Masai
Mara –
Kenya
Wildebeest Migration Safari
|
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Here |
Masai
Mara –
Kenya
Wildebeest Migration Safari
|
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Masai
Mara –
Kenya
Wildebeest Migration Safari
|
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Here |
Wildebeest
Migration Safaris in Serengeti - Tanzania
Serengeti
– Tanzania
Wildebeest Migration Safari
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Serengeti
– Tanzania
Wildebeest Migration Safari
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8
Days/ 7 Nights Tanzania Wildebeest Migration
Safari |
|
13
Days/ 12 Nights Kenya & Tanzania Wildebeest
Migration Safari |
|
The
Great Migration Story
January
to March
Each
year around the same time the 'Great Wildebeest Migration'
begins in the Ngorongoro area of the southern Serengeti
of Tanzania. A natural phenomenon determined by the
availability of grazing.
It
is January to March when the calving season begins.
A time when there is plenty of rain ripened grass
available for the 500,000 zebra that precede 1.8 million
wildebeest and the following 100,000 plains game.
February
February
marks the start of this great migration, preceding
the long rainy season when wildebeest spend their
time grazing and giving birth to approximately 500,000
calves within a 2/3-week period, which starts abruptly
and is remarkably synchronized.
Few calves are born ahead of time, the few that are
as much as 6 months out of phase, hardly any will
survive. (Estes 1992) The main reason for this being
that very young calves are more noticeable to predators
when mixed with older calves from earlier in the previous
year, and so are easier prey.
The
calving grounds of the eastern Serengeti happen to
be outside the hunting territories of most of the
predators, such as hyena, cheetah, hunting dogs and
lions although some losses to these predators can
occur. Wildebeest cows do not seek isolation during
calving or afterwards.
In
migratory populations the cows will congregate in
there hundreds on the calving grounds. Wildebeest
society is much more structured at this time.
Groupings
of pregnant cows, cows that have calved, groups of
yearlings recently separated from their mothers and
bachelor herds, which are usually excluded by the
territorial bulls from the calving grounds.
Expectant
cows gather and drop their calves before midday (very
few are born after midday). Labor will last 30 minutes
to one hour and may be interrupted at any time, should
the cow be disturbed.
When
the calves head and trunk emerge, gravity will complete
the process as long as the cow is standing. Giving
birth usually occurs whilst the cow is lying on her
side and can have visible contractions.
Once
the calf is born the mother will lick her new-born
and within around 10 minutes the calf will be on it's
feet, seeking its mothers udder. The mother may move
away at this point which will encourage the calf to
follow closely. Mothers and calves then group into
nursery herds.
Mix-ups
and lost young can be a problem at first in large
groups, as the instinct to follow means the calf will
approach anything that moves, including predators.
It
is the responsibility of the mother to stay with her
calf for the first day or two, for the calf to be
imprinted on her. The imprint process starts with
the first successful suckling.
Initially
each mother will recognize her own calf by scent and
will actively reject all others. This means, the calves
that become separated from their mothers, are doomed
to starvation or predation.
March,
April & May
March,
April and May is when the herds begin to sweep west
and north towards the long grass plains and woodlands
of the Serengeti's western corridor.
Here
the herd divides when some swing further west than
others who head northwest. They will meet up again
in the Masai Mara of Kenya.
The
long rains have started and the southern grass plains
they leave behind are depleted of all food, so the
herds must press on.
By
the end of May the rains peter out and the rutting
season begins. A time when males are in their prime
condition. Wildebeest bulls become territorial at
4/5 years (Estes 1969), when during the rut they will
undergo dramatic behavioral changes, becoming the
noisiest (C.t. mearnsi) and most active of all African
antelopes.
Territories,
mostly small can be fought, won and lost but usually
only held for a matter of hours while the migrating
herd is passing. Territories of sedentary populations
are much larger and usually are held for longer.
The
rut will occur when the animals are in prime condition
so as to ensure an adult conception rate of more than
95%. If female yearlings are well nourished, first
conception may occur at 16 months, but more usually
they only conceive one year later. The gestation period
being from 8 to 8.5 months.
Competition
to gather and hold as many females as possible is
great; on average one bull will hold in the region
of 16 females as long as they are within his territory.
During this peak of male activity the bulls will neither
eat nor rest as they indulge in constant fights with
neighboring males.
June
& July
June
to July is a transitional period between the rains
and the dry season. As they concentrate on the few
remaining green patches of savannah, these huge herds
reform and push further north towards the Masai Mara.
This
final push north results in a massing along the banks
of the swollen Mara River, producing one of the world's
truly most spectacular sights.
After
four long months trekking, these animals are in desperate
need of water to drink and grass to graze. Many of
the young find it exceptionally difficult to come
this far, sometimes going for days without water.
Many
die from exhaustion and thirst before they reach the
Mara River, but also many survive, just, only to find
one last huge obstacle in their way.
Depending
on the recent rainfall sometimes the chosen crossing
place is shallow, which allows the majority of the
herds to cross safely. But often the river is deep
and fast flowing, with steep banks either side. Many
of the weaker animals are not able to cope with the
strong river currents or the buffeting from other
wildebeest as they swim. Hundreds of animals can die
during the crossing, littering the waters edge with
corpses.
These
will be dispatched by the numerous, hungry, and eagerly
waiting crocodiles. These Nile crocodiles are some
of the largest in Africa, measuring up to 15 feet
in length. Lion and hyena will also take the bodies
from the waters edge if they can pull them out on
to land.
When
so many animals are massed at rivers and waterhole's,
stampedes are common, causing cows and calves to inevitably
become separated. It is possible for a calf to cross
and re-cross the river 2/3 times during the frantic
search for its mother.
This
is when the vulnerable animals can be taken by crocodiles
as they panic and become exhausted. Luckily for the
calves, most separations are only temporary and when
they are re-united the calf will immediately dive
for the udder.
July
to October
Between
July and October the wildebeest reside in the Masai
Mara, grazing the lush green grasses that the earlier
rains encouraged. The mass of over 2 million animals
cover the savannah and grasslands as far as the eye
can see. Predation by leopard, lion and hyena at this
time is great simply due to numbers.
There
are just so many prey animals around that the predators
have to take advantage to feed their own young, a
time of plenty for all.
October
& January
October
to November is when the short rains begin to fall
in the south and east Serengeti, so the herds start
to leave the Masai Mara, crossing the Mara River yet
again, bringing all the same perils as before.
They
head slowly back to the Serengeti's eastern plains.
By the time they arrive it will be February and the
cycle is complete. Arrival at the calving grounds
marks the end of this, and the start of the next year’s
migration.
In
all 250,000 wildebeest die during this 1,800-mile
journey, the sick, the lame, old and very young, but
the next calving will produce around 500,000 new calves
who must take their chances along with the adults
on the following 'Great Migration'. (Being a natural
event the timings of this migration may vary from
year to year).
Why
The Migration Occurs
The
entirety of the migration is dependent upon the coming
of the rains. In Africa's hot and dry climate, such
huge numbers of animal life cannot be sustained by
one place. They have such a dramatic effect on the
grazing pastures, taking no time at all to completely
exhaust the available food supply.
As
the rains come at different times in the Serengeti
and the Masai Mara, so the animals are driven to search
for the rain-ripened grasses and water to drink.
Wildebeest
need to drink every day or at least every other day.
So, this clockwise constant search for favorable conditions
pushes the herds onwards, month by month in order
to feed themselves and their young.
There
are a few sedentary populations of wildebeest, but
most are migratory. Even the process of birthing has
evolved to become unlike any other land mammals. Wildebeest
are the only land animal to synchronize birthing to
within a 2/3-week period. At a time and place, when
there is plenty of grass and water to drink.
Open
plains away from the majority of predators. The rains
herald the birth of many animals' young in Africa;
such is their dependence on water. If the majority
of young are born around the same time and are able
within a few minutes to keep up with their mothers
and the constantly moving herds, they are more likely
to avoid predation.
The
larger the herd, the smaller is any individual members
probability of being targeted for attack by a predator.
This is known as the "dilution effect".
Please Note
We
believe that going on safari to view and witness the
Wildebeest Migration is one of the
ultimate safari experiences that Africa has to offer.
Note that this is a general description of the migration
cycle.
Due to the spontaneous and unpredictable timing of
the migration we cannot be held liable for any misrepresentation
of the current situation in East Africa.
Kindly
consult an African Spice Safari expert for up to date
reports when planning your safari.
Booking
& Reservations for Wildebeest Migration
Safari
in Kenya or Tanzania contact:
Booking
Office Tel: + 254 (0) 20 2437871
Mobile
: 0721242711 (Safaricom) - Kenya
Email:
[email protected]
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