September 9th, 2009
The drought afflicting Kenya at present is having a serious effect on the country’s elephants, in addition to the Kenyan population, 3.8 million of whom are are at risk and need emergency food aid.
Zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who founded Save the Elephants, said the drought is the worst he has seen in 12 years and poses a serious threat to the large and majestic animals. “”It may be related to climate change, and the effect is elephants, particularly the young and the old, have began to die”.
Associated Press
Elephants are not endangered in Kenya, which supports a population of 23,000, and fewer than 100 have died from the drought — but wildlife experts say they are concerned, and are hoping seasonal rains come this October and November.
See also:
Severe drought hits Kenya
Africa nature, Kenya nature | Tags: Drought in Kenya, Elephants, Elephants in Kenya, Environmental issues in East Africa, Environmental issues in Kenya, Wild animals of Kenya|
September 5th, 2009
Very worrying article by John Vidal in The Guardian on the effects of continued drought in Kenya and East Africa as a whole “Droughts have affected millions in a vast area stretching across Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Chad, and into Burkina Faso and Mali, and tens of thousands of nomadic herders have had to give up their animals…The great unspoken fear among scientists and governments is that the present cycle of droughts continues and worsens, making the land uninhabitable.”
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The drought caused by three consecutive failed rainy seasons is unsurprisingly seriously affecting Kenya’s wildlife. The Kenya Wildlife Service is having to feed hippos to keep them alive.”In Tsavo West national park hippos are dying in large numbers, and other species are being forced to change their diet.” Wildlife is also coming under increasing strain from livestock encroaching on protected land as in a despearte search for grass by herders for their animals. See
Hippos Hurt By Kenyan Drought
Africa nature, Climate change, Kenya nature | Tags: Drought in Kenya, Environmental issues in East Africa, Environmental issues in Kenya, Hippos, Hippos in Kenya, Hippos in Kenya Drought, Wild animals of Kenya|