Rainfall during the night had made the roads muddy. Some of the vehicles used in the Mara are not really suitable, supposedly 4-wheel drive mini buses and we saw quite a few stuck in the mud. We came to the rescue of four of these vehicles pulling them out of the mud with our trusty Land Rover. At the river it was the same scene as the previous day with herds milling around testing the swollen water. The crossing is dangerous.
Animals get swept away and drown, others fall prey to the flotillas of crocodiles lying in wait.
On top of everything, these huge herds naturally attract the major predators that hang around the edges picking-off the stragglers as they weaken. But today, there seemed to be a more determined attitude amongst the zebra. Fortunately despite the muddy roads and more boy-scout deeds we got to the river early. There were no other vehicles around when the first group decided to make a move. It was zebra that led the way, a group of about eight or ten plunged into the fast moving water.