Drought was killing Kenya's endangered wildlife

重庆 张淋铱

Kenya's worst dry weather in forty years killed almost two percent of the world's rarest zebra in three months.Over the same period,25 times more elephants died than usual,as well.The drought was starving Kenya's famed wildlife of usual food sources and driving it closer to population centers.The ever-widening search for food can result in deadly conflict between animals and humans.

Without interventions to protect wildlife or rain,animals in many parts of the East African country could face a crisis,conservationists said.“It's a serious threat to us,” said Andrew Letura,an animal observation officer at Grevy's Zebra Trust (GZT).The Grevy's zebra is larger than a standard plains zebra and has narrower stripes and wider ears.Grevy's zebras are the rarest zebra species: just 3000 remain in the world—2500 of which are in Kenya.

The drought had killed about 40 Grevy's zebras since June,2022,which is how many would be expected to die over a whole year,said Letura.He spoke to Reuters at the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya.“If we are losing 40 within three months,what would that mean to the remaining population?” he asked.GZT had begun to feed Grevy's zebras hay poured over a mix of molasses,salt and calcium,helping to reduce the number of deaths,the trust said.

The situation in southern Kenya was also bad.“Rangers had counted eight times as many animals dead or too weak to stand,compared to a normal September.The Amboseli Trust for Elephants had recorded 50 elephants dead or missing,” said Benson Leyian,the chief of Big Life Foundation.

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How had the drought in Kenya affected the population of Grevy's zebras?