March of the Ungulates

_ It is the “short dry season” in the Masai Steppe and that means the migratory animals that had dispersed out of Tarangire National Park during the short wet season (November to January) are returning for water.  By the end of our surveys in mid-February, we were seeing many zebras en route to the park, with wildebeests not far behind. 

Zebras and wildebeests migrate the farthest of all the ungulates here, heading north to the Gelai Plains and east to the Simanjiro Plains during the wet seasons to seek nutritious, volcanic-soil-fed grasses, and returning to Tarangire during the dry seasons for the reliable water sources in the park.  They will remain in the park until March, when the long wet season begins and they head on their migration once again. 

Many of the zebra mares were accompanied by their foals.  We couldn't resist sharing just a few photos of these zebra babies!

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