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You Have to Be First at the River to Get a Drink
Posted by nick_niesen on October 26th Gabriel Paletta Jersey , 2010


While on vacation in the Serengeti Plains of Africa, I sat on a riverbank for three hours watching a herd of wildebeest (or gnu) build up the courage to drink from the water. This herd was part of the Great Migration that happens like clockwork every summer. More than 1,000,000 wildebeest move northward from the arid Serengeti into the wetlands of the Masai Mara.

The migration is a long, dry and arduous journey. Frequently the only available water is the Grumeti River. Crisscrossing the wildebeest migration route through the Serengeti Gabriel Jersey , the Grumeti represents both life and death to the herds. Unlike some creatures that can take their moisture from the grass they eat, the wildebeest must drink from the river to live. Although they can survive up to five days without water, they try to drink twice a day.

The Life-or-Death Challenge of the Great Migration

Hot from the sun, thirsty from the effort and dry from the dust, the animals arrive at the river. They must drink to survive. Yet the river supports other life Franck Kessie Jersey , such as scrub brush, trees and fresh, sweet grass along its banks. Some of that life such as the brush provides cover for predators that present a danger to the wildebeest.

Lions wait until the herd is stretched thin, then charge, trapping a gnu with its back to the river. The other wildebeest stampede Fabio Borini Jersey , raising a dust cloud that obscures the view of those closest to the lions. A kill is almost guaranteed.

Where the water is still enough to form drinking pool he herd may push the leading animals into the current, where they drown or get swept into the jaws of a crocodile.
ce of the River Crossing

The wildebeest seem to be aware of these horrific possibilities as they approach a low spot, ideal for crossing or drinking. Animals at the leading edge of the herd inch up to the bank. Individual gnus step forward tentatively, sniff the air Davide Calabria Jersey , make their distinctive, plaintive "gnu" sound and step back. This dance continues for hours. The herd, smelling water, bunches up behind these "leaders," gradually nudging them toward the water Cristian Zapata Jersey , whether they want to go or not. If it's been a long time since the herd last drank, you feel their d tial[/url] Cheap Air Max 270 Kids