Wildebeest Migration

Since being on safari in Tanzania, I’ve learned that the wildebeest migration technically occurs all year round. It’s just where you are and where the animals are that determine if you get to experience it. Thankfully, we were in the same place as the wildebeest during this trip.

I think this is what it must have been like when the American buffalo “roamed the plains” before their numbers were decimated. While you are driving through one of the numerous migration herds, there are wildebeest (and the zebra and Thompson gazelle that travel with them) as far as the eye can see. Everywhere you look, there are wildebeest – grunting (somewhere between a hollow cow sound, a frog, and serious flatulence), playing, eating, sleeping, and battling it out over who gets the most females.

As with many experiences on this part of the trip, I had no concept of what this would be like before I saw it. It’s really powerful. And at the same time, it’s very peaceful. And the crazy noises these animals make cause me to laugh out loud.

There’s only one downside … so many wildebeest and zebra make it hard to find lions.