The Untamed Heart: Wildebeest’s Tenacity in the Face of a Spear-Inflicted Injury

This wildebeest survives with a spear in its side after having a close call with humans when they tried to hunt him.

Stuart Porter , an avid wildlife photographer, captured images of this survivor and shared the sighting with LatestSightings.com.

“We had been out on a game drive in Ndutu, Tanzania, during the wildebeest migration. People come to observe and photograph the sheer number of wildebeest that congregate in this area during the migration. However, we chose to photograph one individual wildebeest for a not-so-common reason.”

“A wildebeest with a spear stuck in its skin This individual looked as if he were carrying a spear with him. But in reality, he was a lucky escapee from an attack. The Masai often have human wildlife conflict with wildebeest during the mass migration.”

“Wildbeest are despised by the Masai during migration as they are found invading on the herders razing grounds. Eating up a lot of pasture that the Masai need for their cattle herds. Also, wildebeest during the migration will have many offspring. When they give birth, the ground becomes soiled with the afterbirth. That afterbirth is actually poisonous for cattle.”

“These are among the reasons the Masai chase off and will even kill wildebeest that are too close to their cattle. This wildebeest was lucky; the spear from the Masai did not penetrate deeply. It only managed to go through the first layer of skin and got stuck there.”