Drought in Kenya??
Aug 26th, 2009, 12:04 PM
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Drought in Kenya??
I'm reading lots about drought in Kenya in the news.... but am curious to hear from anyone who has actually been to Kenya lately?
Where were you? Was it as bad as we read in the papers (smell of dead carcasses in the air)?
I know the papers can sensationalize things so it would be good to hear the real story...
Where were you? Was it as bad as we read in the papers (smell of dead carcasses in the air)?
I know the papers can sensationalize things so it would be good to hear the real story...
Aug 26th, 2009, 01:20 PM
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No sensationalizing! Not at all!
A friend just returned from Tsavo and she was devastated! So many ellies are dying.
The government has asked the UN for help and supply food.
What the hell is the government doing with the regular aid which flows in?
I remember the last drought. The gov bought new Mercedes cars for their ministers etc for 27 million US$ but did not have the funds to buy lorries to get the food aid up towards the northern frontier.
Shame on the politicians.
When will the Kenyan folks just drive them into the sea? They deserve it!
SV
A friend just returned from Tsavo and she was devastated! So many ellies are dying.
The government has asked the UN for help and supply food.
What the hell is the government doing with the regular aid which flows in?
I remember the last drought. The gov bought new Mercedes cars for their ministers etc for 27 million US$ but did not have the funds to buy lorries to get the food aid up towards the northern frontier.
Shame on the politicians.
When will the Kenyan folks just drive them into the sea? They deserve it!
SV
Aug 26th, 2009, 02:34 PM
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Yeh, where is all the aid, let alone the money.
And, the pols were upset when Hillary spoke about (read: called them) corruption! Shame on them!
Ellees are dying as reported by Cynthia Moss on her site; I'm sure it's same with other game. The Nov rains can't arrive soon enough I guess! If they do!
And, the pols were upset when Hillary spoke about (read: called them) corruption! Shame on them!
Ellees are dying as reported by Cynthia Moss on her site; I'm sure it's same with other game. The Nov rains can't arrive soon enough I guess! If they do!
Aug 26th, 2009, 04:00 PM
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Just back also. The drought is real. It hasn't rained for 3 years in Amboseli. The marshes are as low as I ever saw them. 3 dead zebras right up along the fence in front of the Ol Tukai Lodge one morning last month. Apparently, the zebras especially are dying from eating too much salty dust in their in vain attempt at getting something to eat from the soil. The vultures and hyenas can't keep up. The lions are well fed though! Very few ellies now in Amboseli, but you will see giraffe, forced to walk many miles for some water, then walk back to feed in the forest. As you know, there are no giraffes in Amboseli!!! Not normally anyway. It was depressing and I won't/ I can't bear to return until after it rains again. It truly is sad. Same thing in Samburu. The river is dry and that's their life-line! The Mara and the Grumeti rivers, also just about dried out. People in Nairobi hasn't seen water in the taps for over 2 months. The drought is real. Resettlement has begun in the Mau Forest.
Aug 27th, 2009, 08:08 AM
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Sundowner found an article that indicated the El Nino weather pattern is starting up again. That usually means more rain for East Africa, but less for southern Africa. It may well be that Kenya and Tanzania will get heavy rains in the coming months, which could also be destructive. As they say, "When it rains, it pours!"
Aug 27th, 2009, 12:01 PM
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Sep 6th, 2009, 05:01 AM
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The drought is devastatingly true.
We read yearly of drought in Kenya. When I read of it the beginning of our summer I thought it was just more of the same.
However, while flying in to Amboseli the end of July I could immediately see the difference in the land below. No green at all except for the swamps, and the water level in the swamps was much lower than previously.
I stayed at Ol Tukai Lodge again for a week and the devastation was immediately apparent with many carcasses evident. Almost daily you would spot new carcasses. There were only about 1/4 of the animals in the park than usual. As safarimama reported, zebras appeared to be the hardest hit although we did spot some wildebeest carcasses also. The lions and the vultures were extremely well fed, and by the end of the day the carcass was just a skeleton. The elephant researchers told me that all the 2008 and 2009 baby elephants were also dying in high numbers. Interestingly enough, the Amboseli elephants that have migrated to the Kimana area seem to be doing well as far as finding enough food. I just hope the Maasai in that area that have often speared the elephants in the past won't start another spate of spearing. None of the elephants in the park were acting "normally". They just plodded along pole pole, and I didn't see any play fighting at all this time. They just didn't have the energy since there was so little food. My highlight of Amboseli was seeing a hyena fishing and diving in Lake Kioko (very unusual behavior which no-one had seen before - see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sET8MlcvwxA
The one place I disagree with safarimama is that there ARE usually giraffe in Amboseli. I've sometimes seen groups of 15 together at the waterholes. We saw them again this time, but not in large numbers.
When I arrived in Tsavo at the Buchuma Gate it was wonderful to see that the cattle in the thousands in the park in February had been moved off. I never saw one cow this time.
Tsavo appeared greener, but there was still a shortage of food there also. When I arrived at my tent at Satao Camp I was elated to see many elephants at the waterhole. My first day there a 9 - 12 year old female was in camp who was ill. She had been there for 24 hours without moving. A veterinarian assistant looked her over and couldn't see any wounds, but she appeared to be unable to walk. A day later I saw her walk to the waterhole where a matriarch rushed at her and knocked her off her feet. She stayed in camp for four days, then disappeared.
A very sad event was the arrival of an orphaned 3 year old bull elephant who was obviously starving with protruding hip bones, but still strong enough to charge the askari. We tried calling Kenya Wildlife Service to come and rescue him, but they don't answer their phones on the weekend!! We tried getting the veterinarian but he was unavailable. It was heartbreaking watching this young bull dying. He would walkl and check out each dung ball to see if there was any undigested grass in it. I literally cried one whole morning, and then I got damn mad that no-one cared enough about the wildlife to help. I know full well all wildlife can't be saved, but if this guy had been rescued the first day he might have made it. The next morning the little guy couldn't get up. He lay near the road with his little legs and trunk moving all day, but again there was no-one to rescue him. During that night or early morning he finally died. RIP little bull. The vet notified KWS and they came and harvested his tusks along with those of a 20 year old elephant who had died about a mile behind camp of drought-related causes. We also spotted a giraffe with a snare around its neck and the veterinarian was notified to come and dart the animal and remove the snare. Another older bull giraffe was a regular visitor to my tent on my ten days there and it was great being so close to this gentle creature.
My last day in Kenya I visited the Sheldrick Trust. They now have 24 young baby orphans there all needing to be fed and cared for. If anyone is able to help, please consider adopting one or more of these babies. The Trust needs all the help it can get.
This was my 16th trip to Kenya and I have never seen it so bad for wildlife (and people also). Please pray that it will rain soon and often in Kenya.
We read yearly of drought in Kenya. When I read of it the beginning of our summer I thought it was just more of the same.
However, while flying in to Amboseli the end of July I could immediately see the difference in the land below. No green at all except for the swamps, and the water level in the swamps was much lower than previously.
I stayed at Ol Tukai Lodge again for a week and the devastation was immediately apparent with many carcasses evident. Almost daily you would spot new carcasses. There were only about 1/4 of the animals in the park than usual. As safarimama reported, zebras appeared to be the hardest hit although we did spot some wildebeest carcasses also. The lions and the vultures were extremely well fed, and by the end of the day the carcass was just a skeleton. The elephant researchers told me that all the 2008 and 2009 baby elephants were also dying in high numbers. Interestingly enough, the Amboseli elephants that have migrated to the Kimana area seem to be doing well as far as finding enough food. I just hope the Maasai in that area that have often speared the elephants in the past won't start another spate of spearing. None of the elephants in the park were acting "normally". They just plodded along pole pole, and I didn't see any play fighting at all this time. They just didn't have the energy since there was so little food. My highlight of Amboseli was seeing a hyena fishing and diving in Lake Kioko (very unusual behavior which no-one had seen before - see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sET8MlcvwxA
The one place I disagree with safarimama is that there ARE usually giraffe in Amboseli. I've sometimes seen groups of 15 together at the waterholes. We saw them again this time, but not in large numbers.
When I arrived in Tsavo at the Buchuma Gate it was wonderful to see that the cattle in the thousands in the park in February had been moved off. I never saw one cow this time.
Tsavo appeared greener, but there was still a shortage of food there also. When I arrived at my tent at Satao Camp I was elated to see many elephants at the waterhole. My first day there a 9 - 12 year old female was in camp who was ill. She had been there for 24 hours without moving. A veterinarian assistant looked her over and couldn't see any wounds, but she appeared to be unable to walk. A day later I saw her walk to the waterhole where a matriarch rushed at her and knocked her off her feet. She stayed in camp for four days, then disappeared.
A very sad event was the arrival of an orphaned 3 year old bull elephant who was obviously starving with protruding hip bones, but still strong enough to charge the askari. We tried calling Kenya Wildlife Service to come and rescue him, but they don't answer their phones on the weekend!! We tried getting the veterinarian but he was unavailable. It was heartbreaking watching this young bull dying. He would walkl and check out each dung ball to see if there was any undigested grass in it. I literally cried one whole morning, and then I got damn mad that no-one cared enough about the wildlife to help. I know full well all wildlife can't be saved, but if this guy had been rescued the first day he might have made it. The next morning the little guy couldn't get up. He lay near the road with his little legs and trunk moving all day, but again there was no-one to rescue him. During that night or early morning he finally died. RIP little bull. The vet notified KWS and they came and harvested his tusks along with those of a 20 year old elephant who had died about a mile behind camp of drought-related causes. We also spotted a giraffe with a snare around its neck and the veterinarian was notified to come and dart the animal and remove the snare. Another older bull giraffe was a regular visitor to my tent on my ten days there and it was great being so close to this gentle creature.
My last day in Kenya I visited the Sheldrick Trust. They now have 24 young baby orphans there all needing to be fed and cared for. If anyone is able to help, please consider adopting one or more of these babies. The Trust needs all the help it can get.
This was my 16th trip to Kenya and I have never seen it so bad for wildlife (and people also). Please pray that it will rain soon and often in Kenya.
Sep 6th, 2009, 06:06 AM
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Thank you Jan for this insight information.
And again it supports my assumption regarding KWS......
A friend of mine who worked quite regularly with KWS in the 90ies is as well extremely disappointed the way KWS is led nowadays.
Deteriorating fast.
All help and support from over-seas cannot make up the failure of the people within the country. But YES - any penny will make a difference despite the situation could be much better for all concerned IF the KWS would respond to its responsibilities appropriately.
All too sad...............
I hope the rain starts early this year............
SV
And again it supports my assumption regarding KWS......
A friend of mine who worked quite regularly with KWS in the 90ies is as well extremely disappointed the way KWS is led nowadays.
Deteriorating fast.
All help and support from over-seas cannot make up the failure of the people within the country. But YES - any penny will make a difference despite the situation could be much better for all concerned IF the KWS would respond to its responsibilities appropriately.
All too sad...............
I hope the rain starts early this year............
SV
Sep 6th, 2009, 07:13 AM
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spassvogel:
I always try to look at both sides of this issue. There are times I'm so proud of KWS (i.e. arresting poachers with a vehicle full of ivory - (though the politician whose vehicle it was in has never been named and arrested), assisting in recue of injured animals, etc. However, I've also seen many examples where KWS should have done much more.
We assume that because KWS is charging us $60.00 per day that it is income for them and with that money they should be protecting and saving their wildlife,seeing that the roads are regularly graded, and rangers posted to penalize poor driver/guides for harrassing wildlife. The fact of the matter is that KWS is broke, equipment doesn't work, they are understaffed. Wildlife NGO's have been donating funds for fuel, fixing broken equipment for KWS for a long time. Just consider the size of Tsavo National Park -the size of Massachusetts. They would have to have a huge number of rangers to adequately protect an area of that size. Without the funding, it just isn't possible.
Add to this that in the past before KWS it was the Game Department that protected wildlife. They were their own entity and could make their own rules. Today that isn't so.
KWS tries to make a decision to do something (such as chasing the cattle out of the parks) and the government steps in and over-rides the decision.
Yes, KWS can and should be better run. However unless the government keeps their hands off the KWS funds we tourists pay and over-riding their decisions, it just won't happen. Just think of the loss of KWS income when President Kibaki handed Amboseli National Park over to the Maasai. A huge loss to operating expenses.
Nairobi National Park is now full with over 20,000 cattle which KWS wants to move out, and yet because they are owned by people in high places, and the government says the cattle need to eat also, they have remained. In some instances, KWS is between a rock and a hard place.
I always try to look at both sides of this issue. There are times I'm so proud of KWS (i.e. arresting poachers with a vehicle full of ivory - (though the politician whose vehicle it was in has never been named and arrested), assisting in recue of injured animals, etc. However, I've also seen many examples where KWS should have done much more.
We assume that because KWS is charging us $60.00 per day that it is income for them and with that money they should be protecting and saving their wildlife,seeing that the roads are regularly graded, and rangers posted to penalize poor driver/guides for harrassing wildlife. The fact of the matter is that KWS is broke, equipment doesn't work, they are understaffed. Wildlife NGO's have been donating funds for fuel, fixing broken equipment for KWS for a long time. Just consider the size of Tsavo National Park -the size of Massachusetts. They would have to have a huge number of rangers to adequately protect an area of that size. Without the funding, it just isn't possible.
Add to this that in the past before KWS it was the Game Department that protected wildlife. They were their own entity and could make their own rules. Today that isn't so.
KWS tries to make a decision to do something (such as chasing the cattle out of the parks) and the government steps in and over-rides the decision.
Yes, KWS can and should be better run. However unless the government keeps their hands off the KWS funds we tourists pay and over-riding their decisions, it just won't happen. Just think of the loss of KWS income when President Kibaki handed Amboseli National Park over to the Maasai. A huge loss to operating expenses.
Nairobi National Park is now full with over 20,000 cattle which KWS wants to move out, and yet because they are owned by people in high places, and the government says the cattle need to eat also, they have remained. In some instances, KWS is between a rock and a hard place.
Sep 18th, 2009, 06:18 PM
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I was in Kenya in July and early August, in Yatta District of Eastern Province. The prolonged drought is causing serious food shortages and worsening hunger and malnutrition. Our medical non-profit organizatoion Global Health Partnerships has started a program to address the childhood malnutrition in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and a network of village community health workers.
See our website: www.GHP-USA.org for details. Tragic deaths of children can be averted with our help. Over 95% of donations go directly into our projects.
Dr. AT
See our website: www.GHP-USA.org for details. Tragic deaths of children can be averted with our help. Over 95% of donations go directly into our projects.
Dr. AT
Sep 19th, 2009, 06:40 AM
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I got this from Clamian at Warrior Trails today:
<i>I don't know if you have seen this on the TV or on the internet, and this was originally on the Kenyan side. We have a lot of Maasai from Kenya who have moved to Tanzania for the sake of green pastures and now are going back to Kenya almost empty handed. All the cattle died from the lack of pasture and the same might probably happen for my parents and the whole region of Arusha. We are not really sure what is going to be the end because the rain season in still away. But we keep hoping that the rain may start this time to rescue the cattle and people as well.</i>
He goes on to say that he went to see his parents in their boma at Makuyuni (near the North end of Tarangire Nat'l Pk) and and was surprised by the drought situation in that area. His parents have had to move their cattle 3 times to find food.
<i>I don't know if you have seen this on the TV or on the internet, and this was originally on the Kenyan side. We have a lot of Maasai from Kenya who have moved to Tanzania for the sake of green pastures and now are going back to Kenya almost empty handed. All the cattle died from the lack of pasture and the same might probably happen for my parents and the whole region of Arusha. We are not really sure what is going to be the end because the rain season in still away. But we keep hoping that the rain may start this time to rescue the cattle and people as well.</i>
He goes on to say that he went to see his parents in their boma at Makuyuni (near the North end of Tarangire Nat'l Pk) and and was surprised by the drought situation in that area. His parents have had to move their cattle 3 times to find food.
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