Kenya rangers urge tourists to refrain from disrupting animal migration in Masai Mara

Masai Mara:Rangers at the Masai Mara National Reserve inKenya, a prime location to witness the spectacular annual wildebeest river crossing, are calli...

Masai Mara: Rangers at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, a prime location to witness the spectacular annual wildebeest river crossing, are calling on tourists to refrain from disrupting the migration of wild animals when taking safari tours on the savanna.

From July to October each year, Masai Mara becomes the stage for one of the most breathtaking wildlife spectacles on earth. More than two million wildebeests, zebras and gazelles trek from Tanzania's Serengeti to Masai Mara in search of greener pastures and water, with the dramatic crossings of the Mara River serving as the highlight of the migration.

"The challenge we have in Kenya and Tanzania, in terms of wildebeest migration, is that whenever wildebeests cross the river, many vehicles filled with tourists gather to witness this dramatic moment," Alfred Bett, a tourism warden who has been working at Masai Mara for 20 years, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

On Wednesday morning, thousands of wildebeests gathered along the riverbank, attempting to cross the Mara River. After lingering for over two hours, the herd started to cross the river after the first wildebeest jumped into the water.

At the same time, dozens of safari vehicles, which were requested to stay far away by rangers to leave enough room for migration passage, raced to the crossing point to secure a better position for taking photos.