Luke Street, the Content and Media Manager for Wild Eye, had this sighting at Wild Eye Mara Camp in the Mara Triangle. He shared his footage and story with Latest Sightings.
Kenya is famous for its epic crocodile hunts, and this scene made the perfect setting for another one. A lone wildebeest, the last of 300+ to attempt the crossing, and three crocodiles determined not to let it happen…
As far as we can tell, there is no hierarchical order to a herd of wildebeest making the Mara crossing. It’s more of organized chaos; the pioneers go first, and the masses follow. Sometimes only a few are left last, and rarely does one individual cross completely alone, as in this case.
Luke and his guest were fortunate to witness the entire crossing. They observed multiple attempts by the crocodiles, but none were successful. By this point, the predators were on high alert. When the last wildebeest decided to brave the crossing, there was no chance of it sneaking past unnoticed.
The closest crocodile quickly approached the wildebeest and launched multiple attacks. It wanted to get the job done fast, to avoid sharing its reward. The crocodile bit at the wildebeest’s spine, using its weight to try to drag it under the water!
You really get a sense of how big the crocodile was when you look at its jaws covering most of the wildebeest’s back. Fortunately for the wildebeest, the water was shallow, and it could use its powerful legs to push itself up.
After battling it out for a bit, the crocodile was unable to use its signature move, the death roll. Then, a miracle happened for the wildebeest—it was set free!
Nobody could believe it, including the wildebeest itself. Visibly still in shock but snapped to its senses and looked to stroll away.
Relief was short-lived when another crocodile decided to give chase. Anticipation was through the roof as the crocodile’s water path closed in on the escaped prey. The wildebeest moved frustratingly slowly but wasn’t able to go any faster.
As the wildebeest made it to the bank the second crocodile caught up, grabbing its leg. Luck was clearly still on the wildebeest’s side, as one small nudge was enough for the crocodile to back off.
