According to the tourism minister of Kenya, more than 200 elephants, hundreds of zebras, and thousands of gnus have perished amid the country’s worst drought in four decades.
Nearly half of Kenya’s regions and at least four million of its 50 million inhabitants have been impacted by the issue.
Peninah Malonza, Kenya’s tourism minister, stated during a news conference on Friday that “the drought has caused mortality of animals, primarily herbivore species,” adding that 14 species had been identified as particularly hard-hit.
The paucity of water and the depletion of food supplies are the causes of the mortalities.
According to her, 205 elephants, 512 gnus, 381 zebras, 12 giraffes, and 51 buffalo were reported killed by officials between February and October.
Elephants are most severely impacted by the drought in the Amboseli and Laikipia-Samburu regions, where ecosystems have recorded over 70 elephant deaths, according to Malonza.
She claimed that hay is being sent by the government for the animals.
Estimates from the tourist ministry indicate that there were 36,000 elephants in the nation last year.
In Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, the last four rainy seasons have all failed, leaving millions of people in the Horn of Africa in dire need of food. In Kenya alone, more than 1.5 million cattle have perished.
