Africa 24 Media Photography

The ground is hard as a rock, the rivers are drying up, livestock and wildlife are feeble, emaciated, and are dying in numbers as worthless bags of bones everyday. This is the bitter and miserable situation that most Kenyans, their livestock and wildlife are facing. Where there was grass – green grass, is now a barren earth dusting off with every dry wind that breezes above the ground.

A ravaging drought is sweeping across Kenya claiming lives of human, livestock and wildlife, with every flick of daylight and crack of dawn ushering in a herculean struggle to find water and pasture. The drought is said to be the worst in ten years and in some parks, it has not rained for three years. With the ground drained of water, man and animal are trapped in areas where even a single cup enough for a quick wash is hard to come by. The harsh drought has not spared the wildlife in major parks in the East African nation with the giant hippos being the most affected. The drought has reached to such ravaging and wild levels that the Kenya Wildlife Service has started to feed hippos and other animals in major parks to not only save their lives, but salvage Kenya’s tourism industry that forms a colossal part of the country’s economy. In Tsavo West national park hippos are dying in large numbers, and over 15 hippos have been found dead in the park due to the lack of grass to graze on around the pools they submerge themselves in. Some animals are literally shunning grasslands to stay near the remaining water sources. Other animals have changed their diet. Huge animals like the hippos are being moved from their original habitats and relocated to save them from starvation. Some park’s lodges have followed Kenya Wildlife Service's lead and started spreading hay or vegetable peelings to feed hippos and other animals affected by the drought. Destructive human activities and illegal settlements in water catchment areas have only served to exacerbate the situation. Human-animal conflict is on the increase as zebras, buffaloes and monkeys, driven by hunger are now a menace to farmers. Reports on rivers drying up are increasing by the day as the country waits with bated breath the onset of the predicted El Nino rains. But before the rains descend, the ground will remain parched and dusty, the rivers will continue to desiccate, the people will continue trekking long and tedious distances in search of water and both the livestock and wildlife will continue to succumb, and perhaps Kenyans would come to realize how important it is to protect water catchment areas, value the flora and fauna and bequeath it the necessary protection.

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