A comprehensive aerial survey of South Sudan reveals a massive migration of 6 million antelopes, making it the largest migration of land mammals in the world. The scale of this migration far surpasses the annual Great Migration between Tanzania and Kenya, which includes about 2 million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelles.
Despite decades of civil war and instability in South Sudan, the herds of antelopes have been moving through the region. African Parks, an NGO managing national parks in southeastern South Sudan, used advanced technology and extensive surveys to provide an accurate figure of the antelope migration. The survey revealed that there are around 5 million white-eared kob, nearly 300,000 tiang antelope, 350,000 Mongalla antelope, and 160,000 bohor reedbuck, totaling close to 6 million antelopes.
The migration in South Sudan covers a vast area of 122,774 square kilometers, nearly the size of Greece, and includes species beyond antelopes like lions, giraffes, buffalo, and elephants. The most numerous antelope species in the region, the white-eared kob, has been observed traveling approximately 2,000 km each, making this migration one of the largest on Earth.
While the antelope migration in South Sudan is not the longest migration of land mammals, it is comparable to others like the migration distance between Tanzania and Kenya and far surpasses any other mammal migration. The herds move year-round from southwest to northeast, possibly driven by food sources. With the use of advanced technology and extensive surveys, the true scale and importance of this migration have been revealed despite the challenges faced during the survey process.