Great Migration in Jungle
– N K Tripathi
Every species of wild animals and birds is fascinating. So are wildbeests, zebras, and gazelles. The forest of Masai Mara and its contiguous Serengeti. hosts the Great Migration of these animals, which is one of the Wonders of the World.
This migration is naturally caused by the availability of grazing. Each year around the same time, the circular great wildebeests migration begins in the southern Serengeti in Tanzania and loops clockwise through the Serengeti National Park and north towards the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. Around July to September, they start going back to Southern side. The timing of the migration is primarily dictated by rainfall patterns. The herds follow the rain, seeking out the most nutritious grazing and water sources.
You can see here among pictures a solitary wild beast in the grass. The other picture shows a big herd of wildbeests along with friendly zebras. A very small video clipping gives a feeling of how 17 lakhs wildbeests migrate.
They are now just moving towards south. You can also see picture of Mara River, which is a big hazard for these animals to cross to migrate due to crocodiles and predating lions. Along with wildbeests, 2.6 lakhs zebra and 4.7 lakhs gazelles also follow this migration. Most of you must have seen it on discovery channel.
