Over 300 Wildebeests Drown in Mara River During the Great Migration

More than 300 wildebeests died in a stampede while crossing the Mara River in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve this past weekend.

The Sunday afternoon incident is said to be the single-largest wildebeest deaths in recent history, according to reports.

Tourists camping by the river to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration watched in awe as hundreds of the animals drowned to death.

Maasai Mara Chief Warden James Sindiyo explained that downing is part of the migration phenomenon. 

“During the migration, many wildebeests die from the stampede, drowning, and even being preyed on. It is a game of the jungle and natures at its best.”

“Drowning depends on the route the wildebeests take and the volume of water in the river. The more perilous and deep the route they choose, the more wildebeests are likely to die. These carcasses can sometimes be swept to as far as Lake Victoria,” he said.

The animals’ rotting carcasses now litter the crocodile-infested river, filling the air with a bad stench.

Maasai Mara Deputy Chief game warden Eddy Nkoitoi believes the stamped occurred due to the high number of wildebeests crossing the river.

“So all the wildebeests that came from the back stepped on the first ones down and so on, hundreds died, giving hundreds of crocodiles and vultures more than they can chew,” he explained.

Every year, more than two million wildebeest migrate in a clockwise direction across the ecosystems of the Serengeti (Tanzania) and the Maasai Mara (Kenya).