One of the Largest Elephant Migrations Ever Underway in Africa

Season animal migrations can sometimes be the most beautiful occurrences that happen. With the technology supplied to us today through photography, videography, and documentaries, it is astounding that we are also able to be a part of these migrations from our living rooms. However, migrations that are underway because these animals are forced to find other spots with water are nothing short of sad. We see this happening this week in Africa. 

Elephant Migration in Africa

Several news channels have picked up this elephant migration that is happening in Africa right now. According to the African News channel, they have this to say about the migration. 

“Large numbers of elephants from Zimbabwe’s biggest national park are moving to neighbouring Botswana to survive. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman said Monday (Sep. 18) that “water bodies had dried up” in the Hwange National Park leading to the migration of the mammals.” 

Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife had their spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, address the news in regards to this migration happening. 

“We can confirm the movement of many animals from Hwange National Park into Botswana…It’s not only buffaloes, and elephants but most of the animals because we are facing a lot of water shortages within the park. Most of the natural pans are now dry,” he said.

While many of the news sights are reporting that this is a pure elephant migration, we can see from Tinashe Farawo’s address that there are other animals, such as buffaloes, that are involved in this migration as well. This begs the question, what are some of the biggest animal migrations that happen every year?

According to the Safari Deal, they have listed the top ten animal migrations that take place. 

1. The Great Wildebeest Migration – Kenya and Tanzania
2. Zebra Migration – Botswana
3. Polar Bear Migration – Canada
4. Yearly Elephant Migration – Sri Lanka
5. Emperor Penguin Migration – Antarctica
6. Fruit Bats – Zambia
7. Whale Sharks – Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula
8. Nenets Reindeer Migration – Arctic Siberia
9. Desert Elephants – Mali
10. Monarch Butterfly Migration – Southern California and Mexico

Let’s dive into one of the most well-known migrations every year, and that is the great wildebeest migration that happens in Kenya and Tanzania every year. 

How Many Animals Are in the Great Wildebeest Migration

While the great wildebeest migration is labeled “wildebeest,” it is not just wildebeest that are migrating. According to the Masai Mara organization, there are “1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebra, 12,000 eland, and 300,000 Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles.” 

And due to the sheer numbers of how many wildebeest there are in this migration, they take the lead in the name. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock.com