WILDEBEEST MIGRATION CALENDAR
Safari Overview
The Wildebeest Migration is single large movement of mammals which is annual migration of wildebeest the southern Serengeti in Ndutu region of Ngorongoro conservation area authority in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in southern Kenya. Zebra, gazelle and wildebeest make up the bulk of this migration but behind there are predators looking to pick off some of them to kill and eat.
January to March: The Calving Season
This is the time when the wildebeest calving. It is also best time for predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, and even hyenas to pick off weak and confused calves. The calving season is spent in the Ndutu region of the southern Serengeti.
June to July: The Western Corridor
There is Grumeti River Crossing in the western Serengeti Corridor. Nile crocodiles use this opportunity to strike the increasingly members of the herd who crossing the river.
August to September: The Northern Serengeti
The large herd of wildebeest and zebra still move toward Maasai Mara National Park located in Kenya. There is large obstacle in Mara River since there are large numbers of predators who seek for a weak wildebeest to pick off.
October – November: The Maasai Mara
During this time the large herd of wildebeest crossing the Mara River towards Maasai Mara in Kenya, but also there are few movements of Wildebeest crossing the river.
November – December: Crossing Mara River again;
As November begins, the storm clouds start to gather in the distance, and the wildebeests sniff the air, kick the ground to start to move. They start to circle around the eastern part of Maasai Mara, crossing the Mara River once again. They get back through western Loliondo in Tanzania and then to Lobo area in Serengeti National Park. This is the returning to the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti where the Mothers’ wildebeest are heavy pregnant so as soon they get settled, the calves start to drop on the fresh grass, and this mostly happen in December.
Note: One interesting point is from the outside, the issue of crossing seems to be very difficult and uncalculated and sees like a mass suicide, but these animals are systematic exploring and overcoming the obstacle as one single unit. This wildebeest crossing, most of people like to call a “Swarm Intelligence”.