Blog: Famed wildebeest migration faces threat from road development plan

A massive herd of wildebeest are making this year's migration spectacle in the famous Maasai Mara reserve a feast, not just for the crocodiles lying in wait but also for the tourists who pay thousands of dollars to witness the event.

The migration, which was named seventh "New Wonder" of the world by a U.S. TV network and newspaper in 2006, happens at about the same time every year and is said to be one of the last great ungulate migrations left on earth.

Attracted by the scent of fresh grass following seasonal rains across the plains, the animals undertake a 2,000 kilometre journey across the Maasai plains to southern Kenya, crossing crocodile infested rivers and dodging other predators like lions and leopards in their path, all the way from Tanzania's vast Serengeti plains. The migration to Kenya usually starts in July and ends with the beasts returning in October.
But plans by Tanzania to build a 260-mile highway between Arusha, near Mount Kilimanjaro and Musoma, on Lake Victoria could cut-off the animals' migration corridor, causing environmental activists in the region to call for a review of the plans. Some have called the 2010 spectacle, the "last migration".
Construction of the road, which starts in 2012, will cut through the northern Serengeti. Tanzanian authorities argue that it is needed to connect the country's west to the eastern Indian ocean coast. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the Serengeti and Masai Mara reserves to witness the spectacle. Some end up staying longer to observe the action as the wildebeest come face to face with massive crocodiles lying in wait.
This year, the herds of wildebeests, which are also accompanied by thousands of zebra and gazelle, are bigger than ever, according to Samson Lenjjirr, a warden with the conservancy group, Mara Triangle. Lejjirr argues that while the planned road may not actually prevent animals from moving to new grazing, it is very likely to affect wildlife in one of the world's last untouched wilderness areas, in other ways.