The withered death: One pic that is wrenching the heart to the core

• Image Credit: Internet

• Dec 15, 2021 | moderator

Nairobi: Heartbreaking images of withered carcasses of giraffes is breaking through social media platforms, reminding us that drought has descended yet again in northern Kenya.

The latest in a series of climate shocks rippling through the Horn of Africa, perplexes us as how the international communities are seeding a blind eye towards a situation that has crippled the country year after year. From high talks of action oriented projects to help the already starving population to the level of drought crippling the livestock, the carcasses of the giraffes, lying dead in a spiral on the dry earth, their bodies emaciated and interwoven, just hurtles our heart to the core.

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The aerial shot, taken by the photojournalist Ed Ram, shows the devastation of Kenya’s drought, which has left people and animals struggling for food and water.

Already weak, the animals had died after they got stuck in the mud, according to Getty Images. They were trying to reach a nearby reservoir, although it had almost dried up, the agency reported.

The carcasses were moved to the outskirts of Eyrib village in Wajir County to prevent contamination of the reservoir water.

Kenya’s government has declared a national disaster in 10 of its 47 countries.

It is not just animals that are at risk. An estimated 2.1 million Kenyans were facing starvation due to severe drought across half the state, the country’s drought management authority warned in September.

On Tuesday, the UN said 2.9 million people were still in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Some areas of Kenya had recently reported their worst rainfall in decades, it said.

“Water sources for both people and livestock have dried up, forcing families to walk longer distances and causing tensions among communities, which has led to an increase in inter-communal conflict,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its assessment.

Separately, the local Star news website reported that 4,000 giraffes risked being wiped out by the drought.