Marsabit National Park is planted like an oasis amid the arid, yellowish lands of northern Kenya. The place is a refuge for the luxuriant and humid vegetation, where elephants, buffaloes, baboons, antelopes, birds and Grévy’s zebras rub shoulders. But the reserve is drying up and losing more and more of its luster, in addition to being the scene of growing conflicts.
Authorities from the government conservation agency Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) denied us access to the park, but The duty was able to observe the state of affairs by obtaining tickets reserved for tourists. The jewel of the reserve, Lake Paradise, an attraction in the north of the country, has seen its banks shrink by a few tens of meters, says the guide who accompanies us. As we passed, a few buffaloes, thin and with visible bones under their skin, walked slowly towards the waterhole in the thick morning mist, under the gaze of hyenas sitting a little further away.
The low level of precipitation for three years in the region is hurting. Our guide explains that the herbivores struggle to feed themselves, as the grass, which used to be so tall beside the lakes, to the point where the baboons were no longer visible, is now low to the ground. The ground of the surrounding forest is, meanwhile, sandy, an abnormal situation.
Further into the park, the river that fed the town of Marsabit has dried up. Next to this stream, which no longer exists, the wells made to measure for the animals to drink are dry and, in the best of cases, the bottom contains a few tens of centimeters of stagnant water and trouble. “Here, it’s dead now, slips the guide. The drought killed everything. His customers are also becoming rarer, the number of tourists having dropped.
The unprecedented drought hitting the country is having an impact on wildlife. In a report released last fall by the Wildlife Research Training Institute (WRTI), 205 elephants died in national reserves and parks across the country between February and October 2022. In total, 512 wildebeest, 381 common zebra, 49 Grévy’s zebras – an endangered species – and 51 buffaloes are also said to have died out, as well as several giraffes.
Efforts are being made at Marsabit National Park to feed and water elephants, Grévy’s zebras and buffaloes, explains the Duty Barako Golicha, who leads the Jaldesa conservation community on the edge of the reserve. But outside the park, the pressure is more felt.
Conflicts between wildlife and residents have escalated, with elephants destroying nearby farms in particular. “Elephants are looking for water and destroying water tanks,” reports Barako Golicha. A pastoralist from a community much further west in search of pasture was also trampled to death by an elephant last November as he walked his camels in the park’s protected area.
Clan conflicts on the rise
A few steps from the entrance to the reserve, the owner of the Paradise Inn hotel and restaurant laments. Business hasn’t been going well for a few years. Many of his clients in the region can no longer afford to come. Tourists from outside have meanwhile deserted the park because of the bad publicity caused by the drought and the number of animals that have fled or died.
“People can hardly see anything when they visit,” says Adam Mohamed. He fights energetically so that his company does not go out of business. “It’s our restaurant that keeps us going, for now,” he says.
Intercommunity violence also scares away visitors. Conflicts between clans of Borana, Rendille and Gabra pastoralists are commonplace, rooted in their culture and go back a long way. But the drought exacerbated them. Communities go to the national park to find grass and water for their animals, and they fight among themselves for access to the remaining plots. And those whose animals have died of starvation frequently organize raids against other herders to steal their cows and camels.
“The forests have become a sanctuary for thieves and jostling between cow herders,” said Adam Mohamed, who is in close contact with the police. People don’t feel safe, and it’s hard for them to come here, they’re terrified. Some sometimes shoot themselves with guns. »
Guyo Duba Gindole, 48, who lives in a village on the edge of Marsabit National Park, agrees. “Someone can watch the animals in a more remote place, and some can come and kill him and steal his animals,” he says.
The forests have become a sanctuary for thieves and stampedes between cow herders. People don’t feel safe, and it’s hard for them to come here, they’re terrified. Some sometimes shoot themselves with guns.
The frequency of attacks prompted the government to seize the weapons of pastoralists. A situation that displeases the residents of the village, who believe they are no longer able to protect themselves when they walk their herds. “Two days ago there was an incident. A man from the next village was badly beaten and came back naked. They stole his clothes and animals,” said Yattani Bagaja, 58.
The drought and thefts have been devastating for the village, whose household herds now number less than 10 head of cattle, whereas herds used to number 40, 50 or 70 head. Ranchers often search unsuccessfully for grass, and herds of lean cows are a common sight. Herders also practice agriculture, but the land is now too dry.
Even though his cows only graze on dead branches and withered bushes, 35-year-old herder Abdub Waqo decided to bring them within the boundaries of Marsabit National Park. “They have nothing to eat, but it’s better than keeping them at home,” he says. It’s a forest, so even though it’s dry, it’s better than other places. »
Everyone in the region is anxiously waiting for the sky to finally empty its waters for the next rainy season, which will begin this spring. But the Kenya Meteorological Department’s forecast is not good. “Rain here means life, but also death,” says Adam Mohamed, owner of Paradise Inn.