eTurboNews 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.
Joe Anderson, safari consultants and a tour guide in Serengeti, Tanzania, said the number of wildebeests was still high in the park, while zebras are still roaming the park searching for grass and water in some parts of the 14,763 kilometer square wildlife sanctuary that shares its nature with the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.
Other parks in northern Tanzania have dried up with their animal population migrating to human habitats scouting for water and green grass.
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.
Wildebeest migration between this park (Serengeti) and Maasai Mara in Kenya is the most picturesque, natural phenomenon pulling most tourists to the park to observe the long trek of wildlife.
In Kenya, the most affected parks are Tsavo East and West in southern part of the country, Maasai Mara Game Reserve in south-west and Amboseli on the western foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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.â€Â
Elephants had killed at least two people in recent weeks outside Tsavo National Park which is the home of largest number of pachyderms in Kenya, and interrupted funeral for one of the victims prompting angry protests from the villagers in southern 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.
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