Editing Maasai Mara (section)

==Wildlife==
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
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| image1            = GnusAndZebrasInMaraMasai.jpg
| caption1          = A scene with scattered bushes, animals, cloud shadows, and [[umbrella thorn acacia]] trees
| image2            = Wbeest Mara.jpg
| caption2          = Aerial view of a herd of [[wildebeest]]s following a few leading [[zebra]]s
| image3            = Masai Mara National Reserve 20 - Mara river crossing.jpg
| caption3          = Zebras
| image4            = Cheetah with cubs.jpg
| caption4          = East African cheetah with cubs
}}
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2022}}

[[Blue wildebeest]] are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara.<ref name="GANP" /> Around July of each year, these animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide.<ref name="UNESCO" /> It involves some 1,300,000 blue wildebeest, {{gaps|500|000}} [[Thomson's gazelle]]s, {{gaps|97|000}} [[topi]], {{gaps|18|000}} [[common eland]]s, and {{gaps|200|000}} [[Grant's zebra]]s.<ref name="maratriangle_wildebeest"/>

{{nowrap|All members of the}} "[[Big five game|Big Five]]" – [[Panthera leo melanochaita|lions]], [[African leopard]]s, [[African bush elephant]]s, [[African buffalo]]es and [[south-central black rhinoceros|black rhinoceros]] – are found all year round.

The Maasai Mara is the only protected area in Kenya with an indigenous black rhino population unaffected by translocations.<ref name="rhino">{{Cite web|url=https://www.maratriangle.org/maratriangle/black-rhino|title=Black Rhino|website=Mara Conservancy|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-07|archive-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407103811/https://www.maratriangle.org/maratriangle/black-rhino|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to its size, the Mara can support one of the largest populations in Africa. The population of black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low of 15 individuals. Numbers have been slowly increasing, but the population was still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999.<ref name="Walpole_2003_17"/> The Mara Conservancy, one of the managing bodies of the reserve, reported 120 black rhinos in 1971 and 18 in 1984.<ref name="rhino" /> They claimed one black rhino in 2001 when they began management and a stable 25-30 in 2023.<ref name="rhino" />

[[Hippopotamus]]es and [[Nile crocodile]]s are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek rivers. The plains between the Mara River and the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah.

Large carnivores are found in the reserve. Lions are the most dominant and are found here in large numbers.<ref name="GANP" /> [[Spotted hyena]]s are another abundant carnivore, and will often compete with lions for food. Leopards are found anywhere in the reserve where there are trees for them to escape to. [[East African cheetah]]s are also found in high numbers on the open savanna, hunting gazelle and wildebeest. African wild dogs are quite rare here due to the widespread transmission of diseases like [[canine distemper]] and the heavy competition they face with lions, who can often ravage their populations. Their packs also roam and travel far distances throughout the plains, making it hard to track them. Smaller carnivores that don't directly compete with the latter include [[African wolf|African wolves]], [[black-backed jackal]]s, [[African striped weasel]]s, [[caracal]]s, [[serval]]s, [[honey badger]]s, [[aardwolf|aardwolves]], [[African wildcat]]s, [[side-striped jackal]]s, [[bat-eared fox]]es, [[Striped polecat]]s, [[African civet]]s, [[Genet (animal)|genet]]s, several [[mongoose]] species, and [[African clawless otter]]s.

[[Antelopes]] can be found, including [[Grant's gazelle]]s, [[impala]]s, [[duiker]]s and [[Coke's hartebeest]]s. The plains are also home to the distinctive [[Masai giraffe]]. The large [[roan antelope]]<ref name="GANP" /> and the nocturnal [[bat-eared fox]], rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders.

The area has been named an [[Important Bird Area]] by BirdLife International.<ref name="BirdLife" /> More than 500 species of birds have been identified in the park,<ref name="BirdLife" /> many of which are migrants, with almost 60 species being [[Bird of prey|raptor]]s.<ref name="maratriangle_bird-list"/> It is an important area for the threatened birds that call this area home for at least part of the year. These include: [[vulture]]s, [[marabou stork]]s, [[secretary bird]]s, [[hornbill]]s, [[Balearica|crowned cranes]], [[ostrich]]es, [[long-crested eagle]]s, [[African pygmy-falcon]]s and the [[lilac-breasted roller]], which is the national bird of Kenya. The resident [[Martial eagle]] is endangered.