White-bearded wildebeest are one of the most iconic long-distance migratory species in the world, escaping resource limitation by constantly being on the move. Often referred to as gnu, common, or blue wildebeest, their conservation status is complicated. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) consider wildebeest to be a species of Least Concern. This status, however, relates to the ~1.3 million wildebeest that roam across the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, moving with annual fluctuations in rainfall that impact the quality and quantity of forage available. Across neighboring ecosystems in Kenya where much of our research is focused, wildebeest have experienced widespread and precipitous declines, declining by >90% over the past 40-50 years.
Length: 1.5-2.4 m (5 to 8 ft)
Weight: 115-280 kg (250 to 650 lbs)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Regarded as an ecological keystone, wildebeest impact nearly every aspect of savannah grassland ecology, from local biodiversity to grassland-tree dynamics. Wildebeest also form the foundation for a robust tourism industry, especially in Kenya and Tanzania, with hundreds of thousands of visitors returning annually to observe the impressive spectacle of mass migration. For these reasons and others, Smithsonian scientists are studying wildebeest ecology and movement patterns, with concern that a loss or severe reduction in the abundance of this species will have widespread and long-lasting effects, both ecological and economically across the region.
Surprisingly, little is known about the movements of individual wildebeest, with only three studies to date focused specifically on the movements of wildebeest across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Our team of scientists are using movement data, collected via GPS tracking devices and from unmanned aerial systems, to investigate how wildebeest respond to threats across this ecosystem. A primary focus of our research is the evaluation of habitat connectivity and the importance of collective movement behavior.
Eastern White-bearded Wildebeest Connochaetes [taurinus] albojubatus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
In collaboration with Colorado State University, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and the African Conservation Centre (ACC), we tracked 15 adult wildebeest from 2010-2013, with animals moving east to west between the Loita and Mara Plains and south through Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Further details on this dataset, with links to the movements of each individual wildebeest, can be found on the Gnu Landscapes website.
Since this time, we have collaborated with researchers from KWS, University of Glasgow, and Wageningen University to fit 10 wildebeest with GPS collars in 2017 and an additional 8 wildebeest in 2024. Seven of 8 collars fitted in 2024 continue to function. These data are providing an important baseline to evaluate historic levels of habitat connectivity, with an increased ability to assess how animals are responding to current threats, like increasing levels of fencing that threaten to bisect historic migratory pathways.
Dr. Grant Hopcraft (University of Glasgow) working with the Kenya Wildlife Service field veterinarian team to fit a GPS collar on an adult female wildebeest in the Maasai Mara ecosystem
The climate is expected to shift across East Africa in the coming decades, with current data showing that annual precipitation is increasing and becoming more variable/unpredictable. Ambient temperature is also increasing in comparison to previous decades, increasing evapotranspiration of valuable water sources. These changes will likely require wildebeest to move further afield to obtain the resources required for survival, putting additional stress on animals, especially as anthropogenic barriers to movement increase across the landscape.
We have joined multi-institutional collaborations with local and international organizations, like the One Mara Research Hub and the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration, to make our work more impactful, using animal movement data to inform local conservation decision-making processes throughout the region.
Female white-bearded wildebeest fitted with GPS collars moving between the Mara and Loita Plains across the Greater Mara Ecosystem, Kenya.
Program Scientist
Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Conservation Ecology Center
Ecologist, MoL Program Manager
Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Conservation Ecology Center
Director of Science and Conservation
Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI)
Ecologist, MoL Terrestrial Program Lead
Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Conservation Ecology Center
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