| Today was fascinating, tragic, and sometimes sickening. The wildebeest
herds crossed the Mara river in great numbers. Normally, wildebeest wait
for zebra to go first, with good reason, since zebra are smarter at crossing
rivers. However, we witnessed one wildebeest herd cross without zebra:
total disaster. Of course the wildebeest were nervous because crocodiles
as big as pickup trucks waited in the water. Complete pandemonium ensued
as wildebeest by the hundreds plunged into the swift current, jumping
on each other in a panic to get across. Unfortunately for them, the embankment
on the other side was too steep to climb. The poor animals milled around
in the water, bleating pitifully, and quite a few were crushed or drowned.
Mothers and babies searched for each other after the carnage, many without
a positive result. We saw a wildebeest trotting along with a broken leg,
its right foreleg gruesomely flopping about like a piece of spaghetti.
Another wildebeest valiantly tried standing, rear legs useless due to
a broken back, before sitting and waiting for the lions to come in the
night. |
