Severe Drought Puts East African Tourism in Harm´s Way

Severe drought that has put millions of people and livestock across Eastern Africa at risk of starving is as well threatening wildlife in the region and posing a threat to the region´s thriving tourism.

Standing as Africa´s leading wildlife destination with best-known parks and game reserves, East African region is at a possible threat of tourism slump because of wildlife deaths and migrations from parks to other natural habitats outside tourist developed sites.

Persistent drought has so far caused hundreds of deaths to various species, mainly grass eaters in the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania´s tourist circuit, while in Kenya the Maasai Mara Game Reserve had suffered the same.

But wildlife and tourism experts showed no cause to fear because most attractive wildlife species had concentrated in some parts of the parks with green grass and water.

Wildlife conservation authorities in Tanzania and Kenya are worried over the survival of wild animals in the region, and if there will be no rain in the coming month, there could be a great loss of wildlife and a slump in tourism.

The Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania is mostly known by its big population of wild animals including over 1.5 million wildebeests, zebras, lions and other herbivores. The park attracts over 100,000 tourists per year or 20 percent of Tanzania´s annual tourist arrivals.

Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) spokesperson Connie Maina said, "Wildlife notably elephants have left their natural habitats in search of water following the dry spell in Kenya.”

In southern Tanzania, famous wildlife parks of Ruaha, Mikumi and Selous have their wildlife roaming inside and outside the parks in search of forage, the situation which Tanzanian wildlife authorities fear could create human-wildlife conflict and attract poachers.