The Wildebeest Migration
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The Wildebeest Migrationhome > knowledge > natural history > the wildebeest migration |
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 The Serengeti wildebeest migration is one of the wildlife wonders of the world and one of the principle aims of most visits to the Serengeti. It involves not only something in the region of 1.5 million wildebeest, but also an estimated 200,000 zebra and 400,000 gazelles. When is the wildebeest migration - The migration is on-going with the animals moving seasonally from their wet season range on the southern and eastern plains to the dry season habitat in the north and back again. They don't move in straight lines, but meander in a vaguely clockwise direction moving between the patches of fresh green grass. It's difficult to predict exactly where the migration will be in a given month because movements depend so much on weather patterns and these can vary by as much as 3 months, which is why we think mobile camps are such a great idea. Very roughly this is how the migration moves:
 more detail - The calves are born in February or March amid a birthing frenzy when virtually all the wildebeest cows give birth within the space of a month. This happens on the short grass plains of the eastern and southern Serengeti. Calves are able to run within a matter of minutes of being born and in a very short space of time are beyond the reach of most lions. As you'd expect this period is a particularly harsh one as any calves who are slow to run become someone's breakfast in short order.  The short grass plains are where the most nutritious grasses are to be found and where the animals are probably least at risk from predators because there's little cover for ambush. In an ideal world the wildebeest would stay on the plains full time as the process of migrating has a heavy toll on them, with something like a 3 % increase in calf mortality as a direct result. Unfortunately, the plains have few if any permanent water sources and it doesn't take long before things begin to dry out. The water in this part of the Serengeti has a high salt content, so as waterholes dry from evaporation, so the remaining water becomes saltier. Before long the herds have no option but to move on. It's been suggested recently that the actual trigger for the migration to begin is these salt levels reaching a critical point. By May or June the migration has begun to move off the southern plains through Moru Kopjes, on the way to the central Serengeti and Western Corridor. At this time of year, the bulls become increasingly aggressive as the rut gets underway. They spend most of their time running around in circles defending their females from any passing bulls. At this time of year you can find vast herds of wildebeest and from a great distance make out the rocking shape of the cavorting males. There's plenty of fighting and plenty of noise, with the distant herds sounding like a group of enormous bull frogs. From Moru the animals move through the central Serengeti and out to the western corridor by July / August. Here they cross the Grumeti River encountering some very large crocodiles on their way. Between August and October the herds reach the Mara River with it's abundance of monster crocodiles and begun crossing. Over the next month or so they cross backwards and forwards in and out of Mara / Serengeti, drawn by localized rain showers. In November with the arrival of the short rains when things start to green up again, the herds begin their movement south again in earnest. Initially they move through the eastern Serengeti and at this time of year large numbers are found around Lobo and Loliondo. Within a month or two they are once again back on the eastern and southern plains where they began life the year before.
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