60 Minutes aired a piece on The Great Migration hours ago on October 4th. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley went to Kenya to cover The Great Migration and his focus was primarily on the state of the Great Migration and how it could be affected in the future by the dwindling water level of the Mara River. If the Mara river dried up, it would likely be devestating for wildebeest, crocodiles, and all other animals in the region that are connected to the Great Migration.
Photo of Great Migration Wildebeest - Tanzania - August, 2009
©Bill Given
Bill's Great Migration Video (August 2009)
Bill recently travelled to Tanzania and was able to witness the Great Migration. While we're still working on processing most of the video - Bill did shoot this video at the end of August which shows just how low the Mara river is in places - and how easy it was for the wildebeest to cross. Keep in mind, this video is not the same high quality of the 60 Minutes Great Migration video, but it does demonstrate just exactly how low the river is.
The Great Migration: Drought + Development = Dwindling Water
It was mentioned in the 60 Minutes story that the Masai don't remember the Mara River ever being this low. For the story, Scott Pelley travelled upstream and development of land for agricultural purposes was identified as the key culprit resulting in lower water levels. There is little doubt that development is playing a major role in the water levels, but the severe drought in East Africa is obviously playing a major part in lower water levels this year. While upstream, Pelley uncovered a common problem in Africa - finding a balance between supporting a robust wildlife population while at the same time providing a way for local people to survive.
View the 60 Minutes Great Migration Piece on the CBS Website
The 60 minutes piece is worth a look - to view the video, click here - the focus is primarily on the human caused threats to the Great Migration - but they also have dramatic footage of a wildebeest being taken down by crocodiles in the relatively shallow Mara River.
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The Wild Source's Africa Video Channel - safari videos taken by The Wild Source founder Bill Given