Drought in Kenya causing death of African elephants and other iconic animals

Washington, September 22 (ANI): Conservationists have announced that more than sixty African elephants and hundreds of other iconic animals have died so far in Kenya amid the worst drought to hit the country in over a decade.

So-called "long rains" that usually fall in March and April failed this year, and some areas in Kenya have now been in drought conditions for almost three years.

No one knows why the drought has been so bad.

Many attribute it to global warming, but others say it is simply part of the long-term weather cycle in East Africa.

According to a report in National Geographic News, since January, at least 38 dead elephants have been found in the area around the Laikipia highlands and Samburu National Reserve.

In addition, 30 baby elephants have been reported dead so far this year in Amboseli National Park, farther south, officials said.

Some of the animals died of thirst, while others starved due to lack of vegetation or succumbed to diseases or infections due to weakened immune systems, according to wildlife officials

Many of Kenya's other iconic species, including lions, crocodiles, zebra, and wildebeests, are also suffering in drought conditions and could start dying at worrisome rates, according to wildlife officials.

"The elephants are very smart animals," said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of the Nairobi-based nonprofit Save The Elephants.

"But I think they are going to die in large numbers, and that goes for the other grazers and browsers, too," he added.

One recent study found that wildlife numbers both inside and outside Kenya's parks have fallen by 40 percent since the 1970s.

Conservation officials have been working to protect some animals from the effects of the drought by feeding or relocating them.

At Mzima Springs in Tsavo West National Park, rangers have been laying out hay for hippopotamuses to eat.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has moved ten white rhinoceroses from Lake Nakuru to Nairobi National Park, in part because the parched land can't support the large animals.

Also, the Nairobi-based David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust reports that recently it has been bringing an average of seven baby elephants a month to its orphanage. (ANI)