Annual wildebeest herd tracker information – Migration safari in Tanzania and Kenya
Annual wildebeest herd tracker information – Several research have been carried out to investigate the main reason for the movement of millions of wildebeests and thousands of Zebras migrate from the Masai Mara to Serengeti every year despite the big risks involved during the migration as a lot of predators are waiting both on land and water.
Statistical finding about the Annual Wildebeest migration.
Large‐herbivore migrations occur across gradients of food quality or food abundance that are generally determined by underlying geographic patterns in rainfall, elevation, or latitude, in turn causing variation in the degree of interspecific competition and the exposure to predators. However, the role of top‐down effects of predation as opposed to the bottom‐up effects of competition for resources in shaping migrations is not well understood. a study with 30 GPS radio‐collared wildebeest and zebra migrating seasonally in the Serengeti‐Mara ecosystem to ask how predation and food availability differentially affect the individual movement patterns of these co‐migrating species. A hierarchical analysis of movement trajectories (directions and distances) in relation to grass biomass, high‐quality food patches, and predation risk show that wildebeest tend to move in response to food quality, with little attention to predation risk. In contrast, individual zebra movements reflect a balance between the risk of predation and the access to high‐quality food of sufficient biomass. The analysis shows how two migratory species move in response to different attributes of the same landscape. Counter intuitively and in contrast to most other animal movement studies, we find that both species move farther each day when resources are locally abundant than when they are scarce. During the wet season when the quality of grazing is at its peak, both wildebeest and zebra move the greatest distances and do not settle in localized areas to graze for extended periods. We propose that this punctuated movement in high‐quality patches is explained by density dependency, whereby large groups of competing individuals (up to 1.65 million grazers) rapidly deplete the localized grazing opportunities. These findings capture the roles of predation and competition in shaping animal migrations, which are often claimed but rarely measured.
Wildebeest Migration Map
Why you should witness the Great wildebeest migration?
It is one of the unbelievable wonders of the world as thousands of wildebeest and Zebras plus other antelopes die as the Nature takes its course as the quest of survival continues as the demand for greener pasture intensifies making it hard to stay in one area however shortly after the migration calving season starts right away where thousands of wildebeest calves are born hence balancing the eco-system.
When is the best time to witness the Wildebeest migration?
The migration usually starts in July to October though there is no 100% guarantee on when the best time is as it does become emotional to watch the poor wildebeest drawn and get eaten by Crocodiles.