World

Selfie tourists rapped for blocking antelope migration

By AAP Newswire

Aug 3, 2025

Wildebeest migration — More than 1.5 million wild animals are searching for greener pastures. -EPA

The annual migration of the wildebeest, a type of African antelope, is in full swing in Kenya's Masai Mara Nature Reserve, as worries mount about tourist behaviour.

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More than 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and other antelopes cross the Mara River, which separates Tanzania's Serengeti from the Masai Mara, during these weeks.

The animals follow seasonal rains in the ecosystem to find new grazing areas.

For many visitors to the East African country, the natural spectacle is the highlight of their trip.

While tourism is an important economic factor in both countries, there has recently been increasing criticism of some visitors' behaviour and concerns about over-tourism.

A recent video from the Serengeti provoked a sharp reaction from the Tanzanian national park authority, Tanapa.

The video showed tourist vehicles blocking the wildebeest's path so that the safari holidaymakers could take better photos.

Tourists had also left their vehicles so that they could take selfies in the savannah.

For safety reasons, leaving the vehicles is not permitted, as the wildebeest migration also attracts numerous big cats.