In 1950, livestock viruses drove the Serengeti's wildebeest herd down to 300,000. Less than a decade later, it surpassed 1.5 million, helping turn the ecosystem into a carbon sink

In the 1950s, rinderpest and livestock disease pushed the Serengeti’s wildebeest herd to dangerously low numbers. After the virus was brought under control, the population surged from roughly 300,000 to more than 1.5 million within two decades. That recovery reshaped the ecosystem. More wildebeest meant heavier grazing, fewer grass-fuelled fires and greater carbon storage, helping turn the Serengeti into a remarkable natural carbon sink.