DROUGHT IN KENYA LED TO THE DEATHS OF 205 ELEPHANTS OVER 10 MONTHS

Sat 05 November 2022:

In Kenya, between February and October, the worst drought in 40 years claimed 205 elephant lives along with many other animals, tourism minister Peninah Malonza said on Friday, Reuters reported.

Wildlife in Kenya, where tourism contributes about 10 percent of economic output and employs over 2 million people.

The meteorological agency of Kenya is predicting below-average rainfall for much of the country for the upcoming months, increasing concerns that the threat to Kenya’s wildlife is still present even though sporadic rainfall has finally begun in the area.

“The drought has caused mortality of wildlife … because of the depletion of food resources as well as water shortages,” Malonza, the cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, told a news conference.

Fourteen species have been affected by the drought, she said.

AFRICA’S LARGEST FEMALE ELEPHANT DIDA DIES IN KENYA

In addition to the dead elephants, 512 wildebeest, 381 common zebra, 12 giraffes, and 51 buffalo have also succumbed to the drought over the same period – some in the national parks that are a major tourist draw for the country.

There have also been 49 deaths of the rare and endangered Grevy’s zebra.

In September, conservation group Grevy’s Zebra Trust said that 40 Grevy’s had died in just a three-month period because of the drought, representing nearly 2 percent of the species’ population.

The figures released on Friday are likely far from comprehensive, the ministry warned in a report, saying carnivores could have devoured some carcasses.

“Thus, there is a possibility of higher mortality,” the report said.

The regions of Kenya to the north and south, where the majority of the country’s elephant population resides, are those most impacted by the drought.

The nonprofit organization Save the Elephants reported last month that one famous calf, noted for being a twin, which is unusual for elephants, perished during the drought.

The government suggested increasing monitoring and data collecting, as well as supplying food, water, and salt licks to vulnerable species groups.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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