Boneyard Safari

0 Comments | Current Events, Oct 5, 2009

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2 NAIROBI, Kenya -- Elephants, leopards, and rhinos usually roam Kenya's vast and lush game reserves. Now their bones litter the parched landscape. An ongoing drought in the East African country has killed hundreds of animals, including about 100 elephants, which need to drink about 52 gallons of water a day. Though there are no figures on how the drought has affected people, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that 3.8 million Kenyans need emergency food aid. "Drought has left farmers with empty fields and the carcasses of dead cattle," says WFP director Josette Sheeran. According to the agency, up to 50 percent of water sources are dry and food prices have spiked. Kenya relies on its seasonal rains for water. The country's prime minister, Raila Odinga, fears a "catastrophe" if the rains do not come in October and November.