Over 10,000 Wildebeest Dead? Get the Facts Right Please
I was watching the news yesterday evening (11th Oct) and their was one item that caught my attention. The reporter said that it was feared that over 15,000 wildebeest died as they tried to cross the crocodile infested Mara river during the annual migration. I did some research on the the internet and National Geographic and Time also claim over 10,000 of the animals died.
To verify this I called Kenya Wildlife Service, http://www.kws.org and i had an interesting chat on cellphone with the PR guy handling this matter and he said the figures being reported were over inflated. He said the actual figures on the ground were about 3,000 drownings. He further added that every year they lose about 2,000 animals but this year it rose to 3,000.
He said the probable cause was due to heavy rainfalls experienced over the country which caused the river to be swollen which resulted in the increased number of deaths in the river.
3,000 and 10,000..that a huge difference if you ask me
The annual Great Wildebeest Migration was named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in November 2006 by a panel of experts in America
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October 13th, 2007 11:27
RE: WILDEBEEST MIGRATION DEATHS IN MAASAI MARA
Kenya Wildlife Service wishes to set the record straight on the numbers of wildlife swept away by raging waters of the Mara River in the spectacular annual migration that ended last month.
According to KWS scientists based in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, about 5000 wildebeests drowned as they tried to cross the crocodile-infested river between Kenya and Tanzania.
A report prepared at the Kenya Wildlife Service Mara Research Station scientists titled: “Unusual Wildebeest Mortality in the Mara River”, this was 2000 wildebeests more than the yearly average of 3000 deaths every year.
The only recent exception in casualties was in 2005 when such mass deaths last occurred.
Tourists who saw the heap of about 2000 carcasses were horrified by the sight and mistook this for more than 10,000 animals.
Traditionally, there are about eight points wildebeests are known to cross the Mara River. Incidentally, most of the deaths occurred at two crossing points popular with tourists, especially photographers.
There was also change of wildebeest crossing points to new areas ending up in a steep river bank.
The probable cause of the drowning was heavy rainfalls experienced over the country which caused the river to be swollen which resulted in the increased number of deaths in the river.
The scientists’ report attributes the floods to the unusually heavy rains in September in the upper catchment areas as well as the destruction of the Mau Forest upstream the Mara River.
According to Mr Patrick Omondi, the KWS Head of Species Conservation and Management, the drowning was a natural phenomenon in a migration of more than 1 million animals. “It’s part of the population dynamics in the spectacular migration and there’s nothing we could do about it. There is no rocket science to explain what happened. ”
He said that although 5,000 was a substantial loss, it was still a fraction of the more than five million wildebeest in the Mara-Serengeti eco-system.
Peak season begins in July and ends later this month when the wildebeest migrate back to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
Mr Omondi said the government was developing the Mara Conservation Area management plan. One of the issues to be considered is the wildebeest migration and the tourist viewing points.
The annual Great Wildebeest Migration was named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in November 2006 by a panel of experts in America.
Contacts
Paul Udoto,
Kenya Wildlife Service,
Corporate Communications Manager,
Cellphone—+254-721-453-981
pudoto@kws.org
www.kws.org
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is a state corporation established by the Act of Parliament, CAP 376, with a mandate for wildlife conservation and management in Kenya. It also has a sole jurisdiction over 26 national parks and oversight role in the management of 33 national reserves and private sanctuaries.