Tourists miss out as wildebeest linger longer
The annual journey by millions of wildebeest, zebra and antelope through the grasslands of the Serengeti to the golden plateaux of the Masai Mara is among the most awe-inspiring miracles of nature. The flight for survival from Tanzania to Kenya coincides with a second great migration, however, by planeloads of khakiclad tourists.
This year, a delay in the migration through the fastflowing River Mara has led to some tourists on the Kenyan side going home disappointed, and has prompted allegations of foul play by rangers who blame grass fires in the Serengeti for disrupting the herds’ movements. A multimillionpound safari industry has built up in both countries around an established and predictable route and timetable set by generations of animals. Their perilous river crossing into Kenya has become the most photographed stretch of the 2800km odyssey; and the most lucrative for tour operators.
Fankras Karema, a Kenyan tour operator, said: ‘‘The Tanzanians are starting the fires intentionally, maybe with the hope that the tourists will stay longer in the Serengeti.’’
A ranger from the Masai Mara, who would not be named, said the smell of burning would leave many skittish wildebeest too anxious to brave the crossing into Kenya. ‘‘They need to feel strong when they attempt to cross the river. Fires upset animals and they start getting anxious and won’t put themselves in greater danger,’’ he added.
Dorina Makaya, from Tanzania’s ministry of natural resources and tourism, insisted that the fires had been planned by the authorities to promote new shoots and better grazing for the animals when they returned to the Serengeti later in the year. She said that higher rainfall had improved grazing and encouraged the animals to linger in the national park. ‘‘We had a longer rainy season this year, and so the possible reason for the delaying of wildebeests is water distribution,’’ she said.
Among the wealthy tourists who benefited from sightings in the Serengeti was Barack Obama and his family who spent eight days in private camps earlier this month. The 2800km migration is the largest of its kind in the world. Up to 300,000 wildebeest and 40,000 zebra die as a result of predators, drowning, thirst and exhaustion. - The Times