06.08.04
The migration patterns contined to change in the past week to what now looks like the beginning. In our update last week, we reported the herds taking three directions, northerly, easterly and westerly. As we anticipated, the herds that headed towards Sekenani gate to the east, are now heading west again. They found the plains around there already grazed upon by the Masai cattle, and the place dry with not much water.
The herds that headed north are still around rhino ridge and have been joined by a few more herds that came across from the Mara conservancy. Interestingly, they are now heading west and crossing the Mara river, though in smaller groups. But we anticipate the crossings to intensify as the herds continue with the search for better pasture.
The westerly herd, which had a higher concentration than the first two groups, have settled on the Mara triangle. Since there was some burning on the plains south and west of the triangle, there isn‘t enough still for the herds not before we get some reasonable rain. In their ever search for greener pasture, some crossed the Mara river again at the paradise crossing point onto paradise plains to the east, enticed by a recent burn on this plain. Not suprisingly, having found nothing here, they started recrossing back, using another crossing point a few kilometres downstream from the main crossing point. On the southern Mara triangle where most have settled, some are seen to head back into the northen Serengeti where numerous others can be seen across the border.
Ther is another large herd between Roan hill, olmisigiyoi and look out hill headed westward and are crossing the Mara river near look out hill.
Because of the sparodic changes within the migration pattern, with the animals here today gone tommorow, a hundred thousands here one day and only a thousand the next day, to some people this is not the main migration, and that the REAL thing is yet to happen, and thinks these are just the loita herds. We should understand the effect the current climate is having on this phenomena. We have also seen in some past years similar events, when the wildebeest comes and goes within a month, and in such situations, we have always seen e return of the herds a month later.
(WE CONTINUE TO UPDATE YOU FROM THE FRONTLINE)
No comments:
Post a Comment