2% of the world's rarest zebras wiped out in Kenya's drought
A grueling, two-year drought in Kenya has wiped out 2% of the world's rarest zebra species and increased elephant deaths as well as the climate crisis takes its toll on the East African nation's wildlife.
Animal carcasses rotting on the ground — including giraffes and livestock — have become a common sight in northern Kenya, where unprecedented dry spells are chipping away at already depleted food and water resources.
The Grévy's zebra, the world's rarest of the zebra species, has been the species hit the worst by the drought.
Founder and Executive Director of the Grevy's Zebra Trust Belinda Low Mackey says the species' mortality rate would only rise if no significant rain falls on the region.
“If the approaching rainy season fails, Grevy's zebra face a very serious threat of starvation,” she said. “Since June, we have lost 58 Grevy's zebra, and mortality cases are rising as the drought intensifies.”
Even the most droughtresistant animals are affected. One is the camel, which is known to survive lengthy periods without water.
“Camels are a valuable resource for many people in this region,” Suze van Meegen, an emergency response manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in East Africa, said. “The deserts of Kenya ... are now littered with their carcasses.”
Kenya is on the brink of its fifth failed rainy season, and its metrological department forecasts “drierthan-average conditions” for the rest of the year.
Conservationists worry that many more endangered species will die.
“If the next rains fail ... we could expect to see a substantial spike in elephant mortality,” says Frank Pope, who heads Kenya-based conservation charity Save the Elephants.
“We are seeing herds splintered into the smallest units ... as they try to eke out a living,” he said. “Calves are being abandoned, and elderly elephants are dying. Without rain, others will soon follow.”
As the dry spell persists, other endangered wildlife is fast going extinct.
The drought also is worsening poaching for bushmeat, which has risen among pastoralist communities in the north as the drought affects other sources of income.
In some areas, Grevy's zebras are being poached in grazing reserves.
The Grevy's Zebra Trust says it is helping endangered species survive the drought through supplementary feeding.
“We have one dedicated feeding team in each of the three national reserves (Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba). On average we are using 1,500 bales (of supplementary hay) per week,” Mackey said.