The Hindu : New Delhi News : A dramatic race across Savannah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

A dramatic race across Savannah

Madhur Tankha

REAL ACTION: Wildebeests crossing the Mara river in the new serial `The Great Savannah Race' being aired on Animal Planet.

NEW DELHI: Every year one of nature's most incredible migrations takes place in East Africa. From the vast open plains of the Serengeti to the champagne coloured hills of Kenya's Masai Mara over 1.4 million wildebeests and 200,000 zebras and gazelles undertake a dramatic journey. And now Animal Planet follows this vast migration from the start line to the finish, capturing all the drama and tragedy and heroic deeds in its new series, "The Great Savannah Race".

Aimed at exploring why these animals carry out the yearly migration and who all will survive the 800-km trek that is fraught with danger, the three-part series was premiered on Monday and the remaining episodes will be shown on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This series will highlight the fighting spirit and resilience of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles as they battle against all odds to travel such a long distance.

To make matters worse for these migratory animals, Africa's great predators including lions, cheetahs, hyenas, vultures and crocodiles, relentlessly track them down. Moreover, some of them die along the way from sheer exhaustion.

Most dramatic of all is the moment when the migratory herd arrives at the crocodile-infested Mara river, which must be crossed in order to reach the rich grazing ground. As the bravest takes the initial plunge into the swirling currents, thousands follow -- many to their inevitable death.

"The Gathering", aired on Monday, gave viewers an opportunity to join three scientists -- Anja Brinch Jensen, Sophie Grange and Patrick Garcia - in the Serengeti plains in Tanzania where usually at the end of springtime animals gather in huge groups. However, only a few isolated groups of zebras and wildebeests remain because of an exceptional drought.

"The Present Dangers", to be aired on Tuesday, will highlight the competitive streak in animals as they compete with one another to cross the vast Savannah territories. While the weakest animals are forced to give up, the others are confronted with two major obstacles -- crossing cheetah territory and then the dangerous Mara river.

"The Ultimate Challenge" on Wednesday will show scientists Anja and Patrick reaching a river only to discover hundreds of wildebeests carcasses floating on it. This episode will unravel who all will be the first to reach the Seronera plains in the heart of Serengeti.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi