A grueling two-year drought in Kenya has wiped out 2 percent of the world’s rarest zebra species and increased elephant deaths as well, as the climate crisis takes its toll on the east African nation’s wildlife.
Animal carcasses rotting on the ground – including giraffes and livestock – have become a common sight in northern Kenya, where unprecedented dry spells are chipping away at already depleted food and water resources.
The Grevy Zebra, the world’s rarest of the zebra species, has been the worst hit species by the drought.
Founder and Executive Director of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, Belinda Low Mackey, told CNN that the species’ mortality rate would only rise if no significant rain falls on the region.
“If the approaching rainy season fails, Grevy’s zebra face a very serious threat of starvation,” she said.
“Since June, we have lost 58 Grevy’s zebra and mortality cases are rising as the drought intensifies.”
Even the most drought-resistant animals are impacted. One is the camel, which is known to survive lengthy periods without water.
“Camels are a valuable resource for many people in this region,” Suze van Meegen, an Emergency Response Manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in East Africa, told CNN.
“The deserts of Kenya … are now littered with their carcasses.”
