Rains kill Kenyan wildlife

2006-03-20 08:45

Naivasha - Short rains have killed scores of Kenya's famed wildlife herds in the Rift Valley region, amid a searing drought that has already decimated livestock and wild animals across the east African region, said officials on Sunday.

Wildlife officials in Hell's Gate National Park in the Rift Valley province said weakened animals ate too much vegetation after recent rains in isolated areas in the country.

Charles Muthui, the park's chief warden, said a long-running drought had decimated several wildlife, but now the animals were also dying because of bloating.

Muthui said: "Once the grass sprouted, the animals fed excessively and many died owing to bloat that is caused by dew."

He was speaking at the park in Naivasha, about 90km northwest of the capital. He said: "The most affected are grass-eating animals because the area was turned into green vegetation."

Drought-related competition

He explained that at least 100 animals - mostly gazelles, zebra and buffaloes - had died after the recent rains.

As the government and relief agencies scrambled to save human populations from starvation, wildlife authorities last month warned that poachers were targeting weakened wildlife that was also dying in droves amid increased drought-related competition for scarce food and water.

Officials said drought-induced deadly anthrax had killed scores of endangered Grevy's zebras in northern Kenya, while reduced water levels had also killed nearly 100 hippos in the country.

At least 40 people had died in northern Kenya and livestock were also dying at an alarming rate amid acute food shortages that were threatening at least 11 million people across the east and horn of Africa regions.

The United Nations had warned that many more would die if donors delayed delivery of much-needed support.

- AFP