In a bizarre mishap that Kenya Safari Operators describe as “heartbreaking,” an estimated 10,000 wildebeest have drowned while attempting to cross Kenya’s Mara River during the Great Annual Wildebeest Migration. The deaths, which occurred over the course of several days last week, are said to account for about one percent of the total species population.

The drowning created a grotesque wildlife pileup, after part of the migrating herd tried to ford the Mara at “a particularly treacherous crossing point,” according to Edwin Senior Tour Guide worker with the African Safaris and Adventures who witnessed the incident. The first animals into the river failed to cross and drowned, while others continued to stampede into the water behind them. “Once they jumped into the river they were unable to climb up either embankment onto land and, as a result, got swept up by the current and drowned Some 2,000 wildebeest drowned at the crossing in a single afternoon.” There was no unusual flooding at the time, and there seems to be no extraneous circumstances to these deaths,” Edwin said “. The wildebeest merely chose a crossing point that was too steep.”

Drowning deaths are not uncommon during the wildebeest migration, Edwin added, but his organization has never witnessed fatalities on this scale. “It is customary every year for the wildebeest to pick a particularly treacherous crossing point and for there to be a significant die-off,” he said, “but the number of deaths during these crossings almost never exceeds one thousand.” More than a million wildebeest undertake an epic migration every year in late summer, leaving their calving grounds in the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania to seek greener pastures in Masai Mara Kenya to the north.

The animals, also known as gnu, journey some 2,000 total miles (3,200 kilometers) each year, often joined by thousands of zebras and Thomson’s gazelles. The deaths occurred at Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, as the herd was beginning its swing to the east on its way back to the Serengeti National Park. Since the drowning, the animals’ bodies have washed downriver, beaching on the Mara’s muddy banks and getting caught under a nearby bridge. The remains formed what he described as “pungent islands of bloated carcasses.” “The crocodiles, storks, and vultures have not had to worry about where to find their next meal,” he said

“Those that aren’t consumed will be left and will eventually decompose in the water. These thousands of carcasses will undoubtedly affect the health of the water, but to what extent, only time will tell.” ”

The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve. The Masai Mara game reserve is rated the 4th (forth) best tourist destination in the world and lately named the 7th (seventh) wonder of the world by the ABC.It is located in the South Western part of Kenya. The Masai Mara and the Serengeti plains cover 10,000 sq miles of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. Maasai Mara is usually referred to as “The Mara” which in the Maasai word means patchy landscape. The spelling of “Masai” and “Maasai”are both acceptable; the latter refers to the people. The Masai Mara is both referred to as a Game Reserve and a National Reserve.

It is also treated as a National Park. This is because Masai Mara is managed both by the local authority and the Kenya Wildlife Service. Reserves allow camp sites, lodges, tented safari camps and the settlement of local tribe’s people with their cattle, while the National Parks are normally managed centrally and do not allow human inhabitation apart from people on safari and park rangers in the parks. Both management co-exist in the Mara.

The Mara is an awesome natural wonder, a place where Maasai warriors share the plains with hunting lions, a place of mighty herds and timeless cycles of life, death and regeneration. It spreads into the plains of Serengeti National Reserve in Tanzania. The Loita Hills and the Nguruman Escarpment, both considered sacred to the Maasai, offer high forest trekking opportunities for the adventurous traveler.
George is a specialist in African Safaris and a tour operator. His tour company, Eyes On Nature Exepditions, has presence in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Egypt, Madascar, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Seychelles.

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