Drought threatens Kenya's famed wildlife

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2006

NAIROBI (AFP) — A searing drought that has put millions of people across east Africa at risk of famine is threatening Kenya's famed wildlife herds as they stray from protected areas to forage for scarce food and water.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said conditions in several of the country's best-known parks and reserves were such that animals, mainly elephants, were increasingly coming into conflict with residents of nearby villages and farms, posing risks to both the human and fauna populations.

"We have put out an alert for increased human-wildlife conflicts in the country," KWS spokeswoman Connie Maina told AFP. "Wildlife, notably elephants, have left parks in search of water following the dry spell in the country."

"We have deployed officers from the...