Wildlife documentaries are full of savage photos of intrepid wildebeest springing away from the slavering jaws of crafty crocodiles as they cross the Mara river in search of food and freedom. The truth is different. It is hours and hours of boredom, as indecisive gnus hurry up to wait. The photos here cover the last two hours of daylight waiting for a crossing.
As we left our lodge there was a buzz about wildebeest gathering at the river. We made our way there, and got a position near a bend.
There was a crowd of a few hundred wildebeest already, and more were coming in.
After half an hour of standing around, one animal decided to take a closer look at the water. There were hippos and crocodiles.
It came back up.
More waiting.
Some zebras have joined the gang.
Most of the herd has moved back.
Are there more humans than wildebeest here?
Quite a crowd.
Now the zebras investigate the river.
Those at the back begin trying to slink off.
More waiting! I suggested to The Family that we go see some giraffes and come back later. The withering look I get convinced me that getting bored is the safest course of action. That was when I started watching hippos.
Don't hold your breath 
Amazing pictures. And nobody ever told me that it takes hours before a wildebeest crossing can happen. So there’s a lot of precaution and thought goes into the crossing and it isn’t a simple phenomenon.
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And sometimes, after all the waiting they just are too scared to cross, so they go back.
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Like Margaret above, I was struck by the photo of the vehicles. And I was glad to read your comment that the gathering was a defensive mechanism. I wonder if in addition to being a matter of “more eyes” it was a reflexive hope the crocs would get “somebody else.”
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I suppose that plays a role. Still, sometimes I’m hard pressed to guess at the thinking of people. Guessing what gnus think is not something I’ll dare to do.
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Just seeing them all gathering must be an amazing experience
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It was an interesting sight. Later I found that they gather in extremely large numbers at any place. It is a defensive mechanism against predators (“more eyes to watch”).
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Nature demands incredible patience. ❤ (and Wow!)
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Patience I have, but wildebeest try it to the limit
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‘If anything…’ . Typo alert!
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Yes, that bunch was ready to rush them when they started to cross. There seems to be a designated distance that they have to keep otherwise.
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Of anything, I was most struck by all those vehicles. But clearly the animals didn’t care. Despite the long wait, it must have been a thrilling experience.
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Wildebeest are jokers of the jungle, so it is not too boring if you don’t mind the same slapstick routine played out a few hundred times while you wait.
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