Kenya animal safari: Top Kenya animal vacation & tour, travel trip

Gnu animal Safari

"Gnuu…Gnuu…!" The sound echoes endlessly from thousand of throats to create a majestic chorus; a single immense herd comprising adult males, females and calves over the age of six months. Soon the animals are on the move and you may follow the dark ribbon curving its way towards the horizon, while you still hear the faint echo of their concerted bellowing. It is the wake of a huge army; heads lowered in the face of the hot blowing wind of the plain, they go on in an unchanging rhythm, as if driven by an irresistible force…

This may be the description you have heard about migration of the gnus…From Kenya to Tanzania and vice-versa. The description may sound poetic and fantastic, but I think very far from the reality of the happening. I wish you this extra ordinary experience of over two and a half a million of gnus going, going, going…..

The gnu (connochaetes taurinus) has borrowed its easier name from its characteristic bellowing. It is also known as the brindled Gnu or the Blue Wildebeest. Horns are present in both sexes, but more massive in bulls. Gnus are gregarious and very sociable, associating frequently with zebras and Topi. They are Gnus are also essentially grass eaters. Gnus are very courageous in defense.

Only the lion will tackle an adult bull or a cow…but there are several records where a bull gnu has beaten off a young lion and chased ignominiously away!

The great gnu migration of the Masai Mara is so huge that it is spotted on the satellite images as moving mass of black along the Serengeti-Masai Mara plains. The breeding is also exceptionally phenomenon in that over 300,000 calves are born within a span of 3 months and are ready to migrate in their first month.

The migration is not without its share of surprises with escorting lions and hazardous river crossings with sweeping flood waters and ever so hungry crocodiles. Nevertheless, the heavy toll in the gnus migration doesn’t seem to put a dent in the gnus population. They are always ever so many.

You will need to see this to believe it!

Kenya Eland animal

The eland (Taurotragus Orix) is the biggest antelope in the world. Heavily built it has a muscular neck with double dewlap. The coat colour is grayish-brown to dark-reddish brown with some transverse body stripes (from 2 to 15) sometimes more distinct and other times just visible. Both sexes have horns, the lower half being spirally shaped.

Those of the females of the common eland are longer (over one metre). It is the antelope that most resembles domestic cattle. Although very heavy (up to 900kg and the species "giant eland up to one ton) this powerful creature can nevertheless leap, with something of the grace and ease of an impala over obstacles up to two meters high.

And it is an astonishing rapid runner; over a short distance it can move at around 45km per hour. Mothers defend young bravely: some drive off, if necessary, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and lions. At other times the Eland is timid and does not defend itself against man, if wounded.

Elands normally congregate in herds, which, when they are on the move, string out in single file, headed by the leader, usually the largest male. Even the baby eland few hours after its birth is capable of trotting along behind its mother, already showing an instinctive grasp of the herd’s normal" Indian file" formation.

Robert is a travel expert with Landmarksafaris.com. Degreed in tourism management, he has authored more than 1000 articles on Kenya Masai Mara gnu/ wildebeest migration. To join in, in the world’s largest migration, see here http://www.landmarksafaris.com/tours/wildlife.php