As drought worsens, can Kenyan communities coexist with native wildlife? – National Geographic

May 3, 2022

The men sitting inside the open-backed safari truck were silent and tense as they pulled up alongside their target. A young male giraffe stood under the shade of a tall tree, seeking relief from the unusually brutal March sun. As he heard the tires roll over dry thorn bushes, he craned his long neck and perked up his ears. 

The man in the passenger seat aimed his gun and pulled the trigger, hitting the giraffe squarely in the flank. The group let out a hushed cheer as the animal flinched. 

A man in the backseat set the timer on his watch. “Seven minutes until he falls,” he whispered… 

Read my latest on how the worst drought to hit NorthEast Kenya in decades is killing off its precious and endangered wildlife.