Uproar as tourists block wildebeest crossings during Maasai Mara migration
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators condemned the actions as 'unethical safari practices' that threaten the safety of both tourists and wildlife.
Chaos unfolded in the Maasai Mara this week as tourists ignored park regulations and blocked wildebeest river crossings during the annual Great Migration.
A video shared by wildlife advocates Cheetah Guardians on Instagram on Tuesday, August 19, showed visitors jumping out of safari vehicles and crowding the riverbank, leaving less than a meter between themselves and the animals.
More To Read
- State tightens Maasai Mara rules after viral footage showed tourists blocking wildebeest migration
- Cabinet approves Amboseli park handover to Kajiado County in landmark conservation shift
- Maasai Mara enters World Book of Records for greatest wildlife migration
- Kenya joins list of Africa’s best travel destinations for 2025
- State reaffirms commitment to save Northern White Rhinos through IVF
- Kenya’s wildlife conservancies make old men rich, while making women and young people poorer
Some even forced wildebeests back into the crocodile-infested river, putting both humans and wildlife at risk. Shockingly, the person filming claimed the incident occurred under the supervision of a ranger and demanded $20 (Sh2,584)
“This is the Maasai Mara today: chaos without management, no rules or limits, unethical guides, negligent rangers, and reckless tourists,” Cheetah Guardians said.
The account highlighted that similar incidents have repeatedly endangered wildlife, citing the 2023 death of cheetah Imani’s daughter and the recent encirclement of Nashipai’s daughter Naimutie by over a hundred safari cars.
Last month, Wildlife guide and photographer Nick Kleer shared images and videos on Instagram showing dozens of safari vehicles obstructing the Mara River, forcing wildebeests to scatter in panic.
“These ancient migration routes, shaped by instinct and generations of survival, were blocked by humans who should know better. The herds were forced to scatter. Some ran for cliffs and jumped in panic,” he said.
“The rangers who blocked these passages today are meant to be custodians of the wild. In my opinion, they ended up being as bad as poachers,” Kleer added.
Kleer also noted that his small group maintained a safe distance to allow passage for the animals, highlighting the contrast with others who ignored regulations.
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators condemned the actions as “unethical safari practices” that threaten the safety of both tourists and wildlife.
Executive Director Elirehema Maturo emphasised that such behaviour undermines one of nature’s most spectacular events.
Training sessions have been conducted for over 1,000 guides to reinforce ethical safari practices, and Tanzania National Parks has stated that vehicles involved have been identified and disciplinary action will follow.
The Great Migration, the world’s largest mammal migration, involves between one and two million wildebeest travelling nearly 500 miles from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya’s Maasai Mara.
During the migration, animals face natural dangers, including crocodiles and lions, and depend on uninterrupted migration routes.
Top Stories Today
