[Global Times Special Correspondent Miao Tao]Kenya suffered the worst drought in 40 years. From February to October this year, the drought killed more than 1,000 wild animals.
According to a report by CNN on the 5th, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization said the drought was the longest in the region in 40 years. The drought has resulted in months of below-average precipitation, dried up riverbeds and severe damage to grasslands, while dead grass and water shortages have killed many wildlife. A report released by the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Tourism) on the 4th shows that in the past nine months, 14 species have been affected by the drought, including 205 elephants, 512 wildebeest, 381 A zebra, 51 water buffalo, 12 giraffes and many other wild animals died. Even the Grewey’s zebra, which is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is not spared. 49 of them have died in the drought, accounting for about 2% of their population. In addition, because carnivores may also devour the carcasses of these herbivores, the actual number of herbivores dead may be much higher.
The Kenyan Meteorological Department expects precipitation to remain low in most parts of Kenya in the next few months, despite sporadic rains that have recently started in the region, and the survival crisis facing wildlife has not yet been resolved. The Ministry of Tourism acknowledges that the areas most affected by the drought are precisely Kenya’s national parks and nature reserves, which are also major tourist attractions and an important source of income for Kenya’s tourism industry.
Faced with the ongoing drought, animal experts have called for an urgent “census” of wildlife in Amboseli National Park to get a more complete picture of the drought’s impact on local wildlife. Other experts suggested that drinking water and salt should be provided in the affected areas for wild animals to lick. Niam, director of the Elephant Conservation Center, believes that elephants drink 240 liters of water a day, and if the government does not take action, more elephants will die.
Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism is currently taking measures to actively save the lives of wild animals. Tourism Minister Penina Maronza said that the Ministry of Tourism is drilling new wells to deliver drinking water to wildlife in the reserve, feeding hay to wildlife, and strengthening surveillance of wildlife outside the reserve to reduce human contact. Conflict of wild animals.