Wildebeest crossing Mara River into Serengeti October 2024

Wildebeest Crossing Mara River
A wildebeest crossing doesn’t ‘just’ happen. It takes hours to build up. Witnesses of this event need patience- lots of it. It rarely happens that one arrives at the scene of a crossing as it is about to happen. And so too with this crossing. We watched for hours at the Mara River as the herds built up on the Maasai Mara side of the Mara River to cross into the greener pastures of the Serengeti. They packed the river banks, then “decided” not to cross. Then they walked downstream and returned. Then upstream. And returned. And so the indecision continued. They felt compelled to cross- but it’s as if they knew that danger in the form of huge crocs lurked in the river. And so, in “deep discussion” they prevaricated. Walking upstream. Downstream. For hours. In deep inner conflict. Much I guess as someone who has a major decision to make and just can’t get round to implementing it. And so, this indecision carried on literally for hours. Quite understandable actually- after all crossing the Mara River was a life-threatening decision they had to make. And the herd was joined by other herds, and zebra too. Eventually, one brave wildebeest ventured into the water, a few more followed, and then there was a chaotic, frenzied charge down the embankment and across the river. This carried on for about 15 minutes- the largest crossing I have ever seen. And interestingly, no croc attacks. As they reached the opposite bank, they galloped triumphantly out of the water, palpably relieved at having successfully crossed this treacherous stretch of water. What an awesome, privileged experience for us to have witnessed one of nature’s great events. In fact, during our stay in the northern Serengeti, we were fortunate to experience several crossings.
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