• A two-year drought has wiped off 2% of the rarest zebra species.
• Dry spells are eroding already reduced food and water resources.
• Kenya is about to experience its fifth unsuccessful rainy season.

In Kenya, a brutal two-year drought has wiped off 2% of the rarest zebra species in the world and boosted elephant fatalities, as the climate crisis has a negative impact on the country’s wildlife.

In northern Kenya, where previously unheard-of dry spells are eroding already reduced food and water resources, animal carcasses decomposing on the ground, including giraffes and goats, have become a frequent sight.

The Grevy Zebra, the rarest zebra species in the world, has been the most severely impacted by the drought.

Belinda Low Mackey, the founder and executive director of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, told CNN that the species’ mortality rate would only increase if the area experienced little to no rain.

“Grevy’s zebra face a very significant threat of famine if the upcoming rainy season fails,” she warned. We have lost 58 Grevy’s zebra since June, and the number of mortality cases is increasing as the drought worsens.

Even creatures that can withstand droughts are affected. The camel is one example of a species that can endure long stretches without water.

According to Suze van Meegen, Emergency Response Manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in East Africa, “Camels are a crucial resource for many people in this region.”

“Their carcasses are now scattered across the Kenyan deserts.”

Kenya is about to experience its fifth unsuccessful rainy season, and the department of meteorology predicts “drier-than-average weather” for the remainder of the year.

Environmentalists fear that many more threatened species may perish.

Frank Pope, the director of Kenya-based conservation organization Save the Elephants, predicts a significant increase in elephant death if the upcoming rains are unsuccessful.

As they struggle to survive, “we are witnessing herds divided into the smallest units,” he said. “Older elephants are dying, and calves are being abandoned. Others will quickly follow without rain.

Other species of endangered wildlife are rapidly going extinct as the dry spell lasts.

Consuming only wildlife

Poaching for bushmeat, which has increased among pastoralist groups in the north as the drought affects other revenue streams, is also getting worse due to the drought.

According to Mackey, Grevy’s zebras that stray into community villages in search of food are hunted for their meat.

The drought has worsened Grevy’s zebra poaching since more livestock is congregating on grazing reserves, according to Mackey. As a result, there has been poaching and interethnic strife (animals have occasionally been killed in the crossfire).

Elephants that are compelled to approach humans because of dwindling food and water sources have also been killed in large numbers, according to Pope of Save the Elephants.

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