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Business booming in the Mara as tourists flock to watch wildebeests
An estimated 1.5 million wildebeests cross the Mara River in the months of June to August to graze and to mate, before returning to the Serengeti in the late October to November. As many as 500,000 zebra precede them.
By JULIUS SIGEI juliussigei@gmail.com
Posted Monday, July 18 2011 at 21:07
The wildebeest migration, one of the last remaining great mammal migrations in the world, has started in earnest with visitors from all over the world jamming Maasai Mara game reserve.
A Nation team that toured the resort at the weekend was met by safari enthusiasts from within and outside the country who scrambled to catch a glimpse of what is one of the world's truly spectacular scenes.
The migration, determined mostly by climatic patterns, has coincided with the sprouting of long lush green and golden grass in the savannah, the result of rains that have recently fallen over the area.
Kenya Tourism Board managing director Muriithi Ndegwa says the rise in the water levels in the Mara was as a result of the conservation of the Mau Forest which is the catchment of the river.
An estimated 1.5 million wildebeests cross the Mara River in the months of June to August to graze and to mate, before returning to the Serengeti in the late October to November. As many as 500,000 zebra precede them.
"KTB is keen on contributing towards the survival of this crucial resource that has boosted our performance in the tourism sector with Maasai Mara being among our hot spots in terms of tourist attractions," said Mr Ndegwa.
He called on the tourists to discover Kenya's diversity by visiting other attractions within the country after witnessing the wildebeest migration.
"KTB has put in place diversification strategy to sell other niche products that include eco-tourism, sports, culture and conference tourism," added Mr Ndegwa.
Sometimes the chosen crossing place is shallow, which allows the majority of the herds to cross safely. But often the river is deep and fast flowing, with steep banks on either side.
Many of the weaker animals are not able to cope with the strong river currents or the buffeting from other wildebeest as they swim.
Hundreds of animals can die during the crossing, littering the waters edge with corpses. These will be devoured by the numerous, hungry, and eagerly waiting crocodiles.
Mr Brian Heath, the director of the Mara Conservancy which manages the Mara Triangle on behalf of the Trans Mara county council says the migration started a few weeks late and had led to the swelling of waters in the Mara, a situation which he said was endangering the animals.
"It is an ironic situation. When the water levels are high, the plunge is more spectacular; but the animals die in their thousands.
"However, when the water levels are low, more animals survive, but visitors are disappointed that the crossing is not as interesting as it should be," said Mr Heath.
Conservationists have however warned that if the environment around the Mara was not conserved, then the destination's most important attraction will soon be history.
Dr Joseph Ogutu, a senior researcher at the University of Bohenheim, Germany, recently told the BBC that the annual wildebeest migration, for which the Mara is known, will soon be a thing of the past as it now involved "64 per cent fewer animals than in the early 1980s".
Dramatic declines
"The three main causes of the dramatic declines are poaching, change in land use patterns in ranches within the Mara ecosystem and the increase in number and range of livestock in these areas," said Dr Ogutu.
Like the pilgrimage to Mecca, not all wildebeest move, though. There are resident wildebeests mainly in north-eastern Mara bordering the Olchoro Oirowua Conservancy and Mt Kileleoni as well as the Loita Plains to the south east of the reserve.
Hotels in the park and the surrounding conservancies as well Narok town, which is the gate-way to the resort, have recorded full bookings.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Busine...-/1056/1203718/-/item/0/-/1lm8v5/-/index.html
