This year has seen the
resident herds of wildebeests calving in the Mara. The birth of wildebeest
calves is meant to happen en-masse as a way to counter predation. while this
happened in the Mara over the last couple of weeks, the masses in south Serengeti
(Ndutu area) are also giving birth. thousands of calves are born with a period
of 2 weeks. about 80% of the female population (±400,000) will give birth
around that period. this ensures that the predators are overcome by the number
of prey and that will see many young ones live through to adulthood. what we
are witnessing in the Mara currently is not different form that witnessed in
South Serengeti. It has really been a treat for those who have never been down
south to witness the mass births.
what is unique about the
Mara situation this year is that we had so many young born than previous
records. Over the last 15yrs in the Mara, this is the second time we have
witnessed such birth. The local migration, commonly referred to as the
Loita migration, used to go to the Loita plains east of the Mara. however, over
the past few years, a change in the land use in the Loita area has seen the
original group ranches sub-divided into individual parcel. what followed were
fences coming up as families and individuals erect fenced off their own
parcels. this has now prevented the wildebeest from accessing their traditional
calving ground, hence their high concentration in the reserve at the moment.
The neighbouring conservancies has brought a relieve to these wildebeests, as
they provide a safe ground after the loss of the Loita plains.
Whereas the earlier
birth records in the Mara was attributed to drought, which made the
wildebeests, including some from Serengeti to overstay, the current is due to
the land use change and partly due to a dry spell currently experienced in the
region. The Mara predators who would otherwise be on lean feeding at the
moment, are now in a season of 'surprise' plenty.
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