KenyaThe last wildebeest in the herd crossed the Mara River and was surrounded by crocodiles but luckily escaped successfully.
Luke Street, content and communications manager for tour company Wild Eye, monitors the clash between wildebeest and crocodiles at Wild Eye Mara camp in the Mara Triangle reserve. He shared video footage of the scene on the page Latest Sightings on June 16.
The lone wildebeest was the last of more than 300 individuals trying to cross the river and three crocodiles all targeted it. Before that, when other animals in the herd tried to swim across the river, the crocodiles attacked many times but were unsuccessful. So when the wildebeest finally started moving, the crocodiles were in high concentration.
The nearest crocodile quickly rushed towards the antelope and attacked continuously. It wants to quickly defeat its prey so it doesn’t have to share with its peers. The crocodile bites into the wildebeest’s spine, using its weight to pin its prey underwater. This crocodile is very large because its jaws grab most of the antelope’s back. However, the wildebeest was lucky because the river water in that section was quite shallow, so it could use its extremely strong legs to stand up.
After a while of fighting, the crocodile still cannot use its signature attack, the death twist. The wildebeest suddenly escaped and swam away. But another crocodile chased it. Crocodiles stick very closely to their prey while wildebeests move very slowly because they are tired. As soon as the antelope reached the riverbank, the second crocodile caught up and grabbed its leg. However, a slight jerk from the antelope is enough to push the crocodile back. Finally, the wildebeest hobbled on dry land, toward the remaining members of the herd, without any serious injuries.
The wildebeest has a scientific name Connochaetes, is a common animal in Africa. They are herbivores, mostly distributed in Kenya, Namibia and other countries. Wildebeest often live in large herds, even combining with zebra herds to create strong populations, helping to reduce the risk of being hunted by predators. It is estimated that only 1 in 6 wildebeests survives their first year of life because wildebeests are an important food source for many species such as lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles…