Nature in the raw: thousands of wildebeest drown in river

Rob Crilly in Nairobi
Thousands of wildebeest have drowned during their annual migration across Africa. Their bloated, rotting carcases litter the Mara River and fill Kenya’s most famous game park with the sickly stench of death.

Conservationists in the Masai Mara reserve believe that the animals simply picked the wrong point to cross the river, which had become swollen by heavy rains. More than 10,000 wildebeest are estimated to have died as day after day they poured into the water oblivious to the grotesque pile-up ahead. Brian Heath, the head of the Mara Conservancy, which runs a third of the reserve, said: “I have lived in the Mara for the past six years and this is by far the worst I have ever seen. It’s very distressing for people who have been working to prevent poaching to see such large numbers of animals wiped out in a matter of days.â€

He said that the animals had tried to cross the river en masse as heavy rainstorms moved closer.

“The first few were managing OK but then they moved downstream and started struggling to get out, clambering over each other,†he said. “It was just a bad choice of crossing point.â€

The annual wildebeest migration is one of Africa’s most spectacular natural sights. Thousands of tourists visit Kenya and Tanzania to watch more than a million wildebeest cross from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara and back in search of fresh grazing. Most head for the Mara river, where vast numbers mass on the banks before plunging into the water.

Each year hundreds die in the stampede, while some simply drown in the swirling waters or are snatched by crocodiles.

But it is rare for more than 1,000 to die in a day. Patrick Omondi, head of conservation at Kenya Wildlife Service, said: “We had a lot of calls from alarmed tourists wanting to know what had happened but unfortunately it’s one of those natural things.†Conservationists could only stand by and watch, according to Terilyn Lemaire, who works in the Masai Mara and writes a blog for the charity WildlifeDirect. “There was some consideration put into blocking off the lethal crossing point when the number of fatalities began to rage out of control, with no end in sight,†she wrote in her blog. “But, as heartbreaking as it is to witness such mass suicide resulting from sheer animal stupidity, it’s nature. And who are we as humans to interfere with that?â€

She said that the reserve’s scavengers would be the only ones to benefit. “The thousands of dead wildebeest floated with the current down the river and eventually got caught around the Mara Bridge, creating pungent islands of bloated carcasses. Naturally, the crocodiles, storks and vultures have not had to worry about where to find their next meal.â€