Tsavo West National Park, Kenya (AFP) Aug 30, 2009 – Kenya’s persistent and bruising drought is having a serious impact on the country’s wildlife, one of its main tourist attractions, obliging the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to feed hippos to keep them alive. In Tsavo West national park, a vast expanse of shrubby savannah and majestic rocky outcrops in the south east of the country, hippos are dying in large numbers and other species have been forced to change their diet. Some 15 hippos have been found dead in the park in the past few weeks for lack of any grass to graze on around the pools where they spend their days submerged to keep out of the sun. “For the past one month, the research team has recommended that in order to have the hippos in (good) condition… we give them four bales of hay every two days,” KWS ranger Edward Njuguna told AFP. Edward and his colleague spread out the hay on the bank of a small pool where a dozen or so hippos are splashing about, just metres (yards) away from the remains of one of their number who died a month ago. … The drought has also brought about a massive and illegal intrusion of livestock into the country’s national parks. “What is happening now is the result of three consecutive failed rainy seasons,” said Daniel Woodley who heads the KWS team at Tsavo West. “The communities around Tsavo didn’t get crops… Their reliance on other natural resources increased: timber, honey, charcoal, which is probably the main cash crop in drought period, bush meat, and illegal fishing.” …
Kenya’s hippos hard hit by drought
