2% of the world’s rarest zebras wiped out in Kenya’s relentless drought
A rare African antelope species has died out as much as half of its population – due to an unprecedented and unprecedented drought – in the remote and isolated Horn of Africa country of Kenya.
The Red Hartebeest (Rht) were wiped out in just two years due to the drought, while numbers of the golden hartebeest were recorded as ‘zero’. More than 2,500 Rht have been found dead this year alone.
The Horn of Africa is the driest place on earth, and this is not the first time this phenomenon has happened in the region.
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The Red Hartebeest (Rht) is one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. It is also the rarest: only one in 10,000 have ever been found in the wild and the current population of 10,000 is all but gone
Droughts in the Horn of Africa have been occurring for most of its history, but they are becoming more frequent and severe.
In fact, the Horn of Africa has been experiencing a drought every now and then for the past few years.
The Red Hartebeest (Rht) is one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. It is also the rarest: only one in 10,000 have ever been found in the wild and the current population of 10,000 is all but gone.
The Horn of Africa is the driest place on earth, and this is not the first time this phenomenon has happened in the region.
The Horn of Africa is also experiencing its worst ever drought in recorded history – and this is even more concerning.
In 2009, the region experienced a drought similar in intensity to this year’s – but which lasted for much longer.
