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Tanzania: Site of the Great Migration

Arusha Times (Arusha)

November 26, 2006
Gervase Tatah Mlola
Arusha

After long speculations, wishes and debates, the Great Wildebeest Migration of Serengeti National Park has finally been declared the Seventh Wonder of the world. In a joint project undertaken by USA Today and ABC-TV's Good Morning America, a multi-disciplined panel has named the "Site of the Great Migration," which includes about 90 per cent of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, as the Seventh New Wonder of the World. The panelists who completed the new list of the new wonders of the world, different from the ancient wonders known for centuries, noted Serengeti and its Wildebeest Migration "a rare and wondrous natural drama remaining on earth."

According to ABC, the other new six wonders of the world include the Polar Ice Caps in Iceland, the Underwater Coral Reef in Hawaii Island, Tibet's Potala Palace, Old Jerusalem City, the Mayan Pyramids in Mexico and the Internet.

Serengeti is Africa's greatest national park. It lies in northern Tanzania between Ngorongoro Crater and the shores of Lake Victoria, and between the northern frontier and Lake Eyasi. With and area of 14,763sqkm, its ecosystem extends beyond the park's boundaries to include sections of Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the east, the Mara Game Reserve to the south, and the Maasai Mara Reserve in the north. The entire ecosystem makes the limits of the annual great wildebeest migration, one of the most magnificent wildlife spectacles of our planet today.

Every year, more than 1.5 million wildebeests, 600 thousand zebras and 300 thousand gazelles, moving in a gigantic herd, migrate from the southeast part of the park to the greener west and north and return again to the south in a clockwise circle. Around the month of June, after the rains, the animals gather in large herds and then begin the long march away from the southern section of the park.

No one knows for sure what triggers the migration but what is certain is that the herds know that the grass is greener on the other side and they know when to move and where to go. In their thousands, these animals travel in long moving columns that at certain points extend for forty kilometers, and which ultimately will describe huge oblong figures a thousand kilometers across within an ecosystem of 250, 000 sq. kilometers.

Crossing dangerous rivers, tramping for many kilometers and grunting in clouds of dust, the animals move with the spirit of nomads, looking for brighter, more attractive pastures on the other side. Following behind the grand multitude are packs of wild dogs and hyenas, families of cheetahs, and prides of lions all pursuing the matching herbivores. Above the long, noisy procession are circling vultures and other scavenging and hunting birds, also looking for fortune. It is truly one of the wonders of the natural world - if not in fact the most wonderful of all.

The director general of Tanzania National Parks, Mr. Gerald Bugurube notes that "the animals spend most of their time in the Serengeti, 8 - 9 months a year, because of the availability of ample food resources. It is also in the Serengeti that they ensure their species' survival by calving and nurturing their young." Indeed, calving takes place as soon as they return to southern Serengeti around the end of the year. Almost all the females give birth, resulting to scores of thousands of newborn calves, more than compensate for the numbers lost to crocodiles at river crossings, to land predators, to tough terrain, to natural causes. The animals will remain in this area until the long rain season ends when they regroup themselves again and begin another migration cycle.

News of declaring Serengeti and its spectacular wildlife the Seventh Wonder of the World has put Tanzania at the pinnacle of the Africa's tourism map. "Tanzania is thrilled and proud of the Serengeti's inclusion in the new Seven Wonders list," comments Jumanne Maghembe, minister for tourism and natural resources. "Wildlife conservation has always been a top priority of the Tanzanian Government - with over 25 per cent of the land protected by law. Now with this new honour, comes the added responsibility of our government to ensure that this new natural wonder will be protected for generations to come. And we humbly accept this responsibility."

Most tour operators bring their clients to the northern tourism circuit of Tanzania to see the best Great Migration experience. Judi Wineland, president of the Boston-based Thomson Safaris says, "At least 85 per cent of the 700mile path of the Great Migration takes place in Serengeti National park, giving our guest the optimum opportunity to witness this spectacular scene. It is no surprise that this was selected as the new Seventh Wonder of the World.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200611280998.html

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