The Mara river was much larger & more powerful than we anticipated. Whilst it doesn't restrict the Wildebeest migration it is easy to appreciate why attrition is so high. Loss through misadventure (drowning)accounts for many more deaths than the Mara predators. In October 2007 the Kenya Wildlife Service was reporting that over 5,000 Wildebeest drowned when they crossed the Mara river in large numbers at two ill-suited crossing points. This was widely reported in the media as a freak event though similar numbers also drowned in the river crossings of 2005.

In 2010 we watched a rather fateful crossing by the Mara bridge near the Narok gate. Many calves were simply washed away by the force of the water, drowning downstream or falling victim to large crocs, whilst some of the adults sustained broken legs and a few were partially disemboweled due to striking sharp rocks .......not a pretty sight and not what we came to the Mara to see!