Wildebeest-Gnu Migration in Masaai Mara: 7th new Migration World Wonder

The gnu migrationtheir purest state. On the East African plains, you'll
Wildebeest cross a river during their migration fromsee animals like the lions, elephants, giraffes, and lots
the Maasai Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti Nationalof wildebeests/gnu. Guide Gerald Selempo told "Good
Park in Tanzania. The unique event has earned theMorning America's Weekend Edition" anchor Kate
wildebeest and the two parks a distinction as one ofSnow that area residents had a nickname for the
the new wonders of the world. Every year, thegnu.
wildebeest migrate from the Maasai Mara in Kenya toWildebeest, the clown of the plains
the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, attracting"They call them 'the clowns,' because when you look
thousands of tourists to witness the rare event inat a wildebeest he looks like he was made up of the
nature.leftovers of all the other animals," Selempo said.
The new wonders of the world"They have a head like that of a buffalo, have tail of
Yesterday's TV show, which featured a live interviewa horse. They have legs of an antelope. They just
with Kenya Wildlife Service director Julius Kipng'etich,don't look very balanced."
was the culmination of six days during which panelistsBut the wildebeests do bring balance to this fragile
invited by the channel voted for new wonders of theecosystem. They are the heart and soul of the Great
world.Migration - the key to survival on the vast plains.
The new wonders are separate from the"Without the gnu migration, it's harder to conceive
conventional Seven Wonders of the World knownSerengeti-Mara being what it is today," Hirji said.
for centuries and which are classified by Unesco. The"Everything else survives within that migration."
declaration and exposure during the live broadcast willThe gnu herds follow the rain. "They just move and
be a major boost to the tourism industry in Kenyahopefully wherever they are going. The wildebeests
and Tanzania.can get as much grass and as much water as
How Masaai Mara and wildebeest won awardpossible," Mr Selempo said. After spending the late
The panel of experts included an oceanographer, asummer and early fall in the north, here in the Masai
tour expert, a range and wildlife management expert.Mara, dry land and lack of food forces the
The Maasai Mara and Serengeti and the wildebeestwildebeest herds south to the Serengeti, which is lush
migration were selected as one of the new wonderswith new grass.
because of what the experts termed as "theThere's even a pattern to the way they eat. First,
uniqueness of the Maasai Mara area and thethe zebras come. "The zebra seems to be eating the
preservation it provides to so many species living intop grass," Mr Selempo said. "The wildebeests go for
harmony".the middle and then the other animals. - Like the
The six other new wonders of the world accordinggazelles, go for the lowest part."
to ABC are Tibet's Potala Palace, selected for theThe treacherous routes of wildebeest migration
hope it provides to exiled Tibetans that one dayIt's not always easy. With the circle of life, comes
they will return to their homeland; the Old Jerusalemthe promise of death. Lions, cheetahs and leopards
City, which is holy to both Muslims and Christians; thelook forward to the wildebeest herds' arrival.
Polar Ice Caps in Iceland for the mixture of coldWildebeests are easy prey for a big cat, and once
frozen glaciers and volcanoes; the underwaterthe predators are done, the vultures move in to clear
Hawaiian Island's Monument, a protected underwateraway the leftovers.
coral reef; the Internet - described as a world whereSometimes the migrating wildebeests seal their own
anything is possible and the Mayan Pyramids infate. One group of wildebeests starts out going
Cancun, Mexico whose sight was described assouth, but are then distracted when they sense rain
breathtaking.to the north. The result can be crossing a river filled
A Million of moving gnu and zebrawith unfriendly crocodiles. It happens over and over
In their citation, the panelists said: "More than oneagain. They'll have to crisscross the river several
million wildebeests, half a million gazelles, and 200,000times, sometimes 10, 20 times, depending on which
zebras constantly on the move - they're all in searchdirection they are going," Mr Selempo said.
of fresh grass and water in Maasai Mara. Welcome toBut the miracle of the Great gnu Migration is that the
the Serengeti and the Masai Mara plains in the heartanimals mysteriously find their way. No one knows
of East Africa - the seventh New Wonder of theexactly how far back the wildebeest migration dates,
World. Covering about 10,000 square miles of landperhaps millions of years. But one change in the
teeming with life, the Serengeti is home not only toenvironment here can trigger enormous
some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, butconsequences.
the start and finish line for one of the world's lastNot even disease will finish gnu numbers
great wildebeest migrations.In the early 1900s, a savage disease cut through
"Good Morning America's" expert panel had a spiritedAfrica, and drastically reduced the wildebeest herds
debate about the merits of a moveable, naturalfrom two million to just a few hundred thousand.
wonder of the world. "It's one of the great wondersThen, a devastating drought in the 1990s decimated
in terms of animal migrations," said oceanographerthe gnu population even further. "If the climate
and panelist Sylvia Earle. "It's just over the top."changes drastically, then this whole equilibrium, this
In the end, the uniqueness of the Maasaiwhole tune up, this whole finely tuned movement is
Mara-Serengeti area and the preservation it providesgoing to be thrown out of phase," Hirji said.
to so many species living in harmony landed it on theThe wildebeest population is stable again and is more
ABC list. "Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystems (are)than a million strong. In the late winter and early
considered to be perhaps the last of the ecosystemsspring, the gnu herds move to their version of a
- in which - human impact is less than five per cent,"maternity ward - in the nutrient-rich south. It's the
said Prof Karim Hirji, former director of the Serengetionly place on the gnu migration route where
Wildlife Research Centre.wildebeests can successfully have babies. And they
Wildebeest migration routedo; 300,000 calves are born in just three weeks.
Every year, wildebeests/Gnus, zebras and gazellesOver 300,000 gnu births in a space of 3 weeks
roam, pushing ever forward in a clockwise rotationThose new babies join their parents, the zebras, and
covering the Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti inother migratory animals making the turn north and
Tanzania, along the way encountering friends andfollowing the rains again, a never-ending circle
foes alike. "There's high drama almost the wholereminding man of the wonder of life. Kenya Film
time," said tour guide Mr. David Bromham. "If they'reCommission managing director Wachira Waruru and
not birthing 300,000 calves in the three-week period,Mr Ong'ong'a Achieng of the Kenya Tourism Board
they're leaping into rivers for 20 (feet) up."helped facilitate the filming by ABC.
Wildebeests may have been making the trek forThey won the cooperation of the Narok County
millions of years, coping with disease, drought andCouncil, and also got the Communications Commission
predators. "It would be astonishing and wondrous toof Kenya to substantially reduce the fees payable by
watch the gnu migrations go by," said Mr NeilABC for the live satellite feed from the Maasai Mara
deGrasse Tyson, a panelist and astrophysicist.to the US.
Those lucky enough to travel here see wild animals in