The Great Migration

Every year, thousands of Wildebeests migrate from the savanna in Tanzania to greener pastures in Kenya. They are accompanied by Zebras and Gazelles.

Wildebeest

The wildebeest has a keen sense of smell but a poor sense of sight. As they move, they deposit a scent from their feet, to the ground. This way they can follow each other.       Mother and baby wildebeest

Wildebeest family

Zebra

Have you ever seen zebras in this position? Here is why they do it.

Zebras have a keen sense of sight but a poor sense of smell. If they rest in this position, they can see 360 degrees and therefore are aware of predators anywhere around them.

         This mama zebra seems to be scolding her baby.        

We watched zebras using this rock as a scratching post.    

Thompson Gazelle

This animal is one of my favorite. They move so beautifully. I wanted to take one of the little ones home with me.

   

Because the wildebeest has a poor sense of sight but a keen sense of smell, and the zebra has a keen sense of sight and a poor sense of smell, these two species team up and tend to live and travel together.

Here you can see parts of the migration of 2016. Look carefully in the distance of this first photo to see thousands of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles migrating.

   

This final photo was taken from our vehicle. We were in a traffic jam waiting for these migrating animals to let us pass.