A Crocodile and Wildebeest Battle

One wildebeest was left behind out of five hundred or so after a crossing on the Mara River in Kenya. The poor guy finally succumbed after a near two hour battle with several Nile crocodiles, during which he almost made the safety of the riverbank twice. Unfortunately it’s not always agreeable and pleasing, nature being nature means that many will suffer too, and every year hundreds of antelope and zebra never make the other side.

The river water levels were low last year, which made it harder for crocodiles to drag their prey down below the surface to drown it. The result of the lower levels meant that the crocodiles had to wear down their prey in other ways.

Afterwards, I’d realised I’d detached myself from any empathy while we were photographing and watching the crossing, at the same time willing the wildebeest on. But he had no chance, there were at least a dozen crocodiles about him (or her) leaving him alone while he rested mid-river, but being set upon again when he tried to make a move to the riverside. That evening, the empathy for the wildebeest set in, and I begun to feel what he must have gone through.

The most lasting memory, one which I could not capture on camera, was of his shaking, of both shock and fear, and which was very much echoed throughout by the look in his eyes.

Taken using a Nikon D300 with a 200-400mm f/4.0 lens at 330mm, f/6.7, 1/1000 and ISO 400.

(Clicking on the picture reveals a larger view.)

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