Midland Vibes

Wildlife legend David Attenborough famously made the world sit up in amazement when his dulcet tones accompanied the thundering of millions of hoofs crossing treacherous rivers on The Great Wildebeest Migration.

One of nature’s greatest phenomenon’s, the migration across the Serengeti and Masai Mara eco-system entails a staggering 1.5 million wildebeest, 300,000 zebras, and 200,000 gazelles relentlessly on the move in search of seasonal rains and sustenance.

Fraught with peril along the way, their journey becomes even more dangerous at the crucial Mara river crossing from Northern Tanzania to Kenya where predators lie in wait.

Lifestyle and Travel Editor, Sharon Cain, and series Photographer, Steve Hare, were beyond fortunate to experience the epic event.

They also witnessed hair raising moments when mayhem erupted after the beasts crossed the river and charged off in different directions, creating chaos.

Riverbanks Fraught With Danger

As in life, nothing is guaranteed. Poor planning, timing or just bad luck have proven bitterly disappointing for many who travel half way across the world, pile into safari jeeps - and wait with bated breath for a non-event.

I was beyond tired on arriving at the Mara river in Northern Tanzania after a 15,000 mile journey by jeep, boat, and plane across seven African countries. I hoped against hope the spectacle would happen over the next one and a half days before we had to leave.

If I was shattered, how exhausted would the two million-strong herd of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles be after their laborious trek across two thousand kilometres in a continual loop - and all in the name of survival.

With no respite from attackers along the arduous route, the volume of predators is amplified in and around the river with crocodiles, big cats, hyenas, and vultures.

Agonising Wait

That afternoon we scoured the banks for activity, witnessing a small wildebeest herd galloping to a popular gathering place nearby.

Sleepless with anticipation, at 6.30am next morning we were back, checking out the multiple crossing points with our guide Alfonso.

While herds can assemble at the bank daily during the migration season (April to October), whether they cross depends upon factors such as water levels, fear of being attacked, and herd pressure.

This means visitors can - and do (we spoke to some at the lodge) - wait for days. With just 12 hours before sunset, we did not have this luxury.

I will never forget the timing of events that pivotal morning. At 7.58am, the sight of hundreds of wildebeest gathering on the opposite riverbank set my heart pounding wildly.

Pacing nervously and calling to each other, their numbers were swelling to thousands. Some looked tentatively down the bank to see what lurked below.

Would they pull back and regroup - or would they jump?

On this occasion, the decision hinged on the judgement of a single matriarch wildebeest. Well versed in the ritual, she took a tentative step down the bank, stopping to survey the landscape and assess the risk factors before repeating the exercise.

When anticipation among the herd and tourists reached fever pitch, the matriarch had reached the bottom of the bank.

This was the signal to go, setting off a chain reaction that was out of this world.

Momentous Crossing

The spectacle of up to ten thousand wildebeests leaping down the bank - and the incessant vibration of their hooves kicking up mud as they thundered across the river at 50 miles an hour - is mind-blowing.

Provoking an overwhelming emotional response, I burst into floods of tears.

Tragically twenty per cent of the annual migration herd do not survive the journey. I prayed that those on today’s crossing would not become prey to predators or be killed in the stampede.

I was particularly anxious for the welfare of the cubs, which make up one third of the herd. Born across January to March annaully, they are particularly vulnerable, with some just weeks old when the migration starts in April.

The new born are constantly targeted by lions, cheetahs, hyenas and leopards along the route. They are especially susceptible to stampedes and drowning - two per cent are devoured by crocodiles on every journey.

When Chaos and Confusion Erupts

The river passage is highly stressful for the animals, requiring tourist guides and drivers to respect the rules of the Serengeti National Park.

They include keeping a safe distance from the bank, from each other’s vehicles - and to avoid blocking crossing points.

Earlier when waiting, our guide had asked a couple of jeep drivers, who were parked too close to us, to stick to the required distances. Egged on by their passengers to get closer to the bank, they ignored him.

I quickly learnt that nothing is predictable about this event when the herd - often called a ‘confusion’ due to the disorderly nature of the ritual - suddenly broke rank.

Sustaining their furious pace, they started to gallop in different directions, including ours, which was utterly terrifying.

Hundreds of disoriented animals belted up the bank on our side of the river and towards us before veering round the back of jeeps and up a path behind.

Still shaking, I was later relieved to see the herd had somehow safely regrouped, denoting a successful mission.

Safety In Numbers: Migration Partners

Around 300,000 zebras join the migrations in a mutually beneficial partnership for survival.

Their robust digestive systems allow them to consume the tall, course top layers of grass, leaving the shorter, and more nutrient-loaded grass for wildebeests and fellow herbivores, to suck.

With excellent vision, zebras spot danger early, complementing the wildebeests’ strong hearing and sense of smell – all of which help to detect harmful prowlers.

Around ten per cent of the herd, also called a 'dazzle' due to their bright strips distracting predators, do not survive the testing journey.

Between 200,000 - 250,000 impala and Thompson gazelles, also herbivores with a keen eyesight, are also important partners in the annual passage.

Able to source the best shoots, they are last in the feeding sequence after zebras and wildebeest, devouring herbs near ground level that would otherwise be buried.

Expansive Serengeti Plains

The Mara River is just a fraction of the sprawling Serengeti National Park, a serene, untamed wildlife sanctuary spanning vast expanses of Savanna, woodlands and riverine forests.

Earning UNESCO status five decades after setting up as a game reserve in 1930 to protect wildlife from hunters, it borders the Masai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya – the migration’s destination.

Driving to the Tanzanian/Kenyan border after the crossing, it was wondderful to see the herd calmly resting, no doubt relieved they had lived to see another day.

Pride of Serengeti

Boasting one of the highest density of lion populations in the world, the park's open plains are an ideal environment for them.

Around 3,000 lions thrive and survive in the Serengeti ecosystem, living in prides of between 15-20. Hunting is mainly the domain of the females with wildebeest, zebras, and gazelle the primary food source. The males defend their cubs and territory from intruders.

That night I slept soundly knowing the herd was resting up for the next leg of its challenging quest. After the day's events, I was acutley aware of the fragility of their daily existence.

The Migration In Motion : Video Below

I had been privy to the spectacle of the largest land movement of animals on the planet.

I had yearned witness the crossing my entire life. Three months later I still pinch myself, incredulous and grateful that it happened within a short window of opportunity.

The intense experience exemplified courage and resilience in a world so far removed from from our own where survival of the fittest prevails - and nothing is taken for granted.

TRAVEL FACTS

Serengeti National Park - Home to the Great Migration
Great Migration - Wikipedia
Tours & Safaris - Ranger Safaris Ltd Tanzania

The Great Wildebeest Migration takes place between April and October, with peak activity across August and September.

The documentary series Trek: Spy on the Wildebeest narrated by David Attenborough is available on Discovery and Amazon.

Your can read more on Sharon and Steve's African adventures at Victoria Falls Yorkshire Times and The Chobe River and Tarangire National Park across the Yorkshire Times series