African Parks, an NGO managing national parks in southeastern South Sudan, has conducted a comprehensive aerial survey of the region and revealed that there is a massive migration of 6 million antelopes. This makes it the largest migration of land mammals in the world.
The scale of this migration far surpasses the annual Great Migration between Tanzania and Kenya, which includes about 2 million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelles. Despite decades of civil war and instability in South Sudan, the herds of antelopes have been moving through the region.
The most numerous antelope species in the region, the white-eared kob, has been observed traveling approximately 2,000 km each. The migrants cover a vast area of 122,774 square kilometers, nearly the size of Greece. The survey also revealed that other species like lions, giraffes, buffalo, and elephants are also part of this migration.
African Parks used advanced technology and extensive surveys to provide an accurate figure of the antelope migration. The organization’s work highlights the importance of conservation efforts in preserving these migrations for future generations.
