South Sudan’s first-ever aerial survey of wildlife revealed on Tuesday that 6 million antelopes participated in the annual Great Nile Migration, making it the largest land mammal migration on earth.
The survey, which was conducted in the Boma Badingilo Jonglei Landscape, revealed the migration of millions of antelopes, including white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and Bohor reedbuck, a remarkable wildlife phenomenon across a landscape of ecological importance.
The survey, carried out over two weeks in 2023 in two national parks and nearby areas, relied on airplane spotters, nearly 60,000 photos and tracking of more than a hundred collared animals over about 120,000 square km.
The survey results, combined with data from the collaring of hundreds of different animals from multiple species, helped develop an understanding of the ecosystem, allowing African parks to develop strategies of protecting sustainability for both the wildlife and the people who depend on it.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who launched the survey, called on relevant agencies to prioritize the training and equipping of wildlife rangers to combat poaching and trafficking of illegal wildlife products in protected areas.
“As South Sudan continues to develop, we are committed to transforming the wildlife sector into a sustainable tourism industry,” Kiir said.
Unmanaged exploitation of natural resources could trigger the collapse of migratory patterns, ecological integrity, and the livelihoods dependent upon them, researchers said.
