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Kenya: Drought Scuttles Conservation Efforts As Wild Animals Perish

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4 years ago

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The death of wildlife due to the ongoing drought is disrupting conservation efforts. With depressed rainfall in Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo and Marsabit counties, endangered wildlife species are beginning to die, dealing a major blow to years of conservation.

The situation has been exacerbated by competition for already scarce pasture and water among pastoralist communities. Cases of human-wildlife conflict are intensifying.

The situation could get worse, with the Kenya Meteorological Department forecasting depressed rainfall going into the November-December short-rains season. Dozens of giraffes, gerenuk gazelles and buffaloes in Garissa, Wajir and Tana River and parts of Meru National Park have starved to death in recent weeks.

The situation is dire, observed Mr Robert Obrein, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director in charge of the Eastern region, who has written to the government seeking food supplements for rhinos and hippos.

The problem has been aggravated by an influx of illegal herders, who have driven hundreds of camels and cattle from Garissa and Wajir to the area, heightening competition for scarce pasture. Elephants, which feed day and night, must trek long distances in search of vegetation as most acacia trees have fallen, Mr Obrein said.

He said the situation could worsen if, by December, the area will not have received sufficient rainfall.

“Giraffes are dying daily in Garissa, while we are witnessing deaths of buffaloes in Tana River. We have written to the government hoping that it will come in and help the rhinos and hippos that are really suffering,” he said.