Wildebeest
Migration Wildlife Safaris in East Africa
Masai
Mara Game Reserve — Kenya
Serengeti
National Park — Tanzania
Wildebeest
Crossing the Masai Mara River, Kenya
|
Wildebeest during
the Miration in Serengeti, Tanzania
|
Migration
herds in the Plains of the Serengeti National
Park
|
The
Great Migration
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.
Read
more about 'The Wildebeest Migration'
Phenomenon & view
Our Ultimate Wildebeest Migration Safaris below.....
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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Here |
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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Here |
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
|
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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 waterholes,
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
Wildebeeste Migration is one of the
ultimate safari experiences that Africa has to offer.
Please note 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. Please consult an African Spice Safari expert
for up to date reports when planning your safari.
