Kenyan Wildlife Flee Wildfires and Suffer Drought

Many of the rivers feeding Lake Nakuru, home to hundreds of thousands of flamingos, have partially dried up because of the drought and fires.

Hundreds of thousands of flamingos and other species of wildlife across Kenya were on the run over the weekend from five separate wildfires, as 3.2 million human residents faced hunger from a protracted drought.

Some of the blazes blackened the Masai Mara as well as neighboring Tanzania’s Serengeti Park.

The drought is causing many watering holes and streams to dry up, forcing the Kenya Wildlife Service to pump water from underground bore holes into shallow pans for animals to drink.

On Sunday, thousands of zebras, buffalo, giraffes and antelopes fled a blaze in Longonot National Park, rushing headlong through villages and across busy roads.

While many of the animals in peril have been able to outrun the fires, wildlife experts said snakes and smaller animals, like rabbits and mongooses, may not have been able to escape.

The fires have also destroyed nearly $1 million worth of crops such as maize, Kenya's staple food.

The government has sent around 4,500 soldiers and police officers to the affected areas to help fight the fires.

Several months of virtually rain-free weather has left many parts of Kenya so dry that only a single spark is enough to set huge areas ablaze.

Photo: Mike Bessette