Hundreds of elephants and zebras die during drought in Kenya

An elephant killed by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers after it killed a woman as it was looking for water (Brian Inganga/AP)

Hundreds of animals, including elephants and endangered Grevy’s zebras, have died in Kenyan wildlife reserves during East Africa’s worst drought in decades, according to a report.

The Kenya Wildlife Service and other bodies counted the deaths of 205 elephants, 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras and 12 giraffes in the past nine months, the report states.

Parts of Kenya have experienced four consecutive seasons with inadequate rain in the past two years, with dire effects for people and animals, including livestock.

The worst-affected areas include some of Kenya’s most visited, including the Amboseli, Tsavo and Laikipia-Samburu ecosystems, according to the report’s authors.

Mohamed Mohamud, a ranger from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy, with the carcass of a giraffe that died of hunger in Kenya (Brian Inganga/AP)

They called for an urgent aerial census of wildlife in Amboseli to get a broader view of the drought’s impact on wild animals there.

Other experts have recommended the immediate provision of water and salt licks in impacted regions.

Elephants, for example, drink 240 litres (63.40 gallons) of water per day, according to Jim Justus Nyamu, executive director of the Elephant Neighbours Centre.

For Grevy’s zebras, experts urge enhancing provisions of hay.

WHAT IS...

Climate Justice

Climate justice is an approach that argues there are certain ethical considerations to how we approach tackling climate change.

Initially, the term referred to the injustice that those countries who did least to cause climate change were facing its worst impacts.

The concept was broadened to include gender: the burden of dealing with climate change falls disproportionately on women.

Climate change is an intersectional issue, as climate impacts and climate action have gender, racial, and social class aspects.

A climate justice approach to climate change also involves moving our focus from emissions to a more rights-based approach, including the rights of people to a habitable environment.

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