THE CROSSING

Tens of thousands of wildebeest arrive at the Mara River and gather waiting to cross. For days their numbers can be building up and anticipation grows, but many times for no apparent reason, they turn and wander away from the water’s edge. Eventually they will choose a crossing point, something that can vary from year to year and cannot be predicted with any accuracy. Usually the chosen point will be a stretch of water without too much predator-concealing vegetation on the far side, although occasionally they will choose places that look suicidal and drown while the crocodiles are waiting for them.

Once on the grasslands of the Masai Mara, the wildebeest spend several months feeding and fattening once more, taking advantage of the scattered distribution of green pastures and isolated rainstorms. A remarkable feature of their wandering is their ability to repeatedly find areas of good grazing, no matter how far apart. They are drawn into migrating by the needs of their stomachs, the fact that they’re constantly on the move has the added benefit that they outmatch large numbers of predators.

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