Migration Overview

"Everyone who has a chance to see nearly two million animals on the move, has been touched by the magic of this place. What is it that gets under our skin? The urgency of the movement of the wildebeest? The wide open plains? The African light? Or maybe it is the fact that we all came from here, not such a long time ago and our deep unconsciousness remembers the time 6,000 generations ago..... Or maybe it is just the sheer numbers of the migrating animals as they move in the world's last surviving migration." Markus Borner, Frankfurt Zoo

The wildebeest's story in Africa is a dramatic one. Across 16,000 sq km of endless plains, forests, rivers and hills that stretch to distant horizons, approximately two million wildebeest, zebra, topi, hartebeest and gazelle tread a well-worn path on a yearly basis. During a three week period between January and March (varying according to conditions each year), approximately 400,000 wildebeest calves are borne in Tanzania's southern Serengeti plains and the Ngorongoro highlands. And then the great journey begins!

From here, they travel in a clockwise direction some 1,000 km through the Serengeti and Masai Mara and back to the Serengeti again as they search for nutritious pastures left by the rains. Along this mammoth journey, danger awaits at every turn. Each day is a constant challenge of keeping up, keeping fit and keeping on. There are battles on land with hyena, lion, leopard and other predators. And then there are the jaws of seemingly prehistoric crocodiles that patrol the Mara River, waiting for their yearly feast to come by!

Life on this triangular trek of several million hooves never stops. It changes a little every year depending on the rains, but, the focus is on survival and the eternal calling of new rains and rich grazing pastures. This phenomenon also affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of other species, who rely on the migratory herds for their survival. These include predators, gazelles, birds and lowly insects, not to mention the grasses and trees that are fertilised by droppings. Then there are the spectators, homo sapiens, who come each year to watch in wonder at two million animals on the move. There's the dusty excitement of the panic stampede when predators arrive, the incredible cacophony of grunts or the quieter moments sipping sundowners and gazing out over the savannah dotted as far as the eye can see with wildebeest grazing under the African sun. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

The migratory path through Tanzania and Kenya

December till March: the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area attract huge numbers of wildebeest as they graze on short rain-ripened grass during the calving season.

April and May: once the eastern boundaries food supply is depleted, the herd moves north westwards, to the long grassy plains and woodlands of the Serengeti's western Corridor, almost to shores of Lake Victoria. They stay here during the long rains.

June: after the rains depart, the migration moves northwards up through the central and western sectors of the Serengeti, breeding en route.

July and August: herds stream to the north of the park, where they mass in total confusion along the swollen Mara River, facing the dilemmas of crossing. With the sweet grasses of the Mara a stones throw away, not even six meter crocodiles halt their journey, as the majority plough over the banks into the unknown. A number of wildebeest stay in the Serengeti and link up with the group on their return southern journey from the Mara.

July/August till October: the wildebeest move into the Masai Mara, greater Mara plains and community areas. They stay here until the food supply diminishes and the short rains in southern Tanzania start calling them back.

November: from the eastern Mara the journey continues southwards, back into the Serengeti eco-system and the Ngorongoro highlands. Here, they pan out again to enjoy the succulent grasses and wait for the precise moment, in which to give birth and start the cycle once more.

A few interesting facts

• Common Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) also called the gnu or blue wildebeest. Also found in East Africa, is the eastern and western white bearded wildebeest and Brindled gnu
• Swahili name: Nyumbu Ya Montu
• Best seen: Serengeti (Tanzania) between January and July, Masai Mara (Kenya) between July and October, Liuwa Plains (Zambia) between October and December
• Shoulder height: 130 - 150 cm
• Weight: 180 - 250 kg
• Habitat: grassy plains and open woodland
• Diet: strict grazers, preferring short grass, they cannot go without water for more than a few days
• The birth: 90% of all calves are born in a two to three week period of each other. A calf can stand and run within minutes of birth, eats its first blades of grass in under two weeks and stays close to mum until the next born (approximately one year)
• Maturity: females give birth around the age of three years old whereas males mature at around four, but most do not breed until the age of five. Males need to mature and then fight for their territories to gain access to breeding females
• Life span: can be as much as 20 years (lucky Moja) and is one of the few African antelope to have extended its numbers in the last 50 years. In the 1960's there were approximately 250,000, today there are over 1.5 million
• Vocals: emits a constant moan or grunt like a giant croaking frog and if disturbed, snorts explosively
• Main predators: lion, cheetah, hunting dog, hyena, jackal, crocodile