Kenya

Around 1.3 million wildebeest—odd, dark antelopes with shaggy beards and large humps behind their shoulders—have traveled hundreds of kilometers to reach the lush pastures of the Maasai Mara in southwestern Kenya. They are now just meters away from their destination, the goal that drove them to embark on this perilous journey, one they repeat each year. But there’s one final challenge in their path: the rivers that divide these green savannahs from the Serengeti in northern Tanzania. Nervous and restless, some wildebeest pace back and forth, while others simply stare down at the river from the top of a slope. They are acutely aware of the hidden dangers lurking in the murky waters below, teeming with natural sediment and home to Nile crocodiles—giants that can reach up to six meters in length. Yet, if one brave wildebeest finally musters the courage to leap into the unknown, the rest will quickly follow. A cloud of dust will rise as they stampede, filling the air with their deep, guttural calls, the sound of splashing water, and the palpable fear in their movements.

This tension between the wildebeests' collective anxiety and their instinct to push forward forms a key part of one of the largest land migrations on Earth. It's also one of the secrets behind the incredible biodiversity of southwestern Kenya, a complex ecosystem that extends for hundreds of kilometers.