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Although sporadic rainfall has finally started in the region,
Kenya's Meteorological Department is forecasting below-average
rainfall for much of the country for the coming months, raising
fears that the threat to Kenya's wildlife is not over.
"The drought has caused mortality of wildlife ... because of the
depletion of food resources as well as water shortages," Malonza,
the cabinet secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, told a
news conference.
Fourteen species have been affected by the drought, she said.
In addition to the dead elephants, 512 wildebeest, 381 common
zebra, 12 giraffe, and 51 buffalo have also succumbed to the
drought over the same period - some in the national parks that
are a major tourist draw for the country.
There have also been 49 deaths of the rare and endangered
Grevy's zebra.
In September, conservation group Grevy's Zebra Trust said that
40 Grevy's had died in just a three-month period because of the
drought, representing nearly 2% of the species population.
While a first step in accounting for the losses, the figures
released on Friday are likely far from comprehensive, the
ministry warned in a report, saying carnivores could have
devoured some carcasses.
"Thus there is a possibility of higher mortality," the report
said.
News of the toll on wildlife in Kenya, where tourism contributes
about 10% of economic output and employs over 2 million people,
comes just days before the start of the U.N. climate conference
COP27.
Host Egypt has made the issue of "loss and damage", compensation
for losses from climate-related disasters, a focus of the talks.
Debated for years, the issue has never been part of the U.N.
talks' formal agenda, as wealthy countries have resisted
creating a funding mechanism that could suggest liability for
historic climate damages.
The areas to the north and south of Kenya are most affected by
the drought and are also home to the bulk of Kenya's elephant
population.
Last month, charity Save the Elephants said that one famed calf,
well-known for being a twin, a rarity for elephants, died during
the drought.
The ministry recommended providing vulnerable wildlife groups
with water, salt licks, and food and to increase monitoring and
data collection.
(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by George Obulutsa, James
Macharia Chege and Alison Williams)
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