A sharp wave of drought not seen in Kenya for forty years has led to the death of numbers of elephants, buffaloes and zebras in national parks.
In the land in Amboseli (south), near the Tanzanian border, has become dry and cracked underfoot, while no long grass is observed on the horizon, but yellowing of the leaves of weak trees and animal carcasses along the road.
Josefat Wangiji Kagai, 37, a ranger with the Nature Conservation Authority who has been working in Amboseli National Park since 2016, notes that “the last significant rainfall in the region was in December 2021.”
In Kenya, drought caused by climate change has starved at least four million people (out of a population of 50 million), and with them exceptional wild animals that have made Kenya a top tourist destination.
Tourism Minister Benina Malunza notes that the drought has killed 205 elephants, 512 African wildebeest, 381 zebras and 12 giraffes between February and October.
In Amboseli National Park, one of Kenya’s two pre-eminent parks along with the Maasai Mara Reserve, wells are running dry and the pastures are empty of animals.
“I once saw an elephant on the brink of death, but it was too late, and it died after a short time,” says Kagai, explaining that zebras and antelopes are among the most affected species.