There is more to the Mara than a million hooves

Local Maasai women displaying their wares near the Sekenani gate in Masai Mara Game Reserve. [Robert Kiplagat, Standard]

Millions of hooves pound the patched ground, a cloud of dust wafting high into the sky. At the nearby river, a lifeline to the animals in both Kenya and Tanzania, the wildebeests dive in, oblivious of the danger that lurks below the surface.

Here, crocodiles that have been staking out for weeks are in for a bonanza, an annual feast that compensates for the lean time. For the wildebeests that survive the Mara River ordeal, the plains of Masai Mara will be transformed into a wild theatre where the older generation will usher in new actors. And the cycle will continue.