Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 100 elephants in Wangai National Park in Zimbabwe have died due to lack of water, the International Society for the Prevention of Animals said on the 11th. Environmentalists fear that more elephants may die in the future due to climate change and El Niño.
Zimbabwe's rainy season usually lasts from November to March, but there has been almost no significant rainfall this year. The Meteorological Department expects the drought to continue until 2024. In a statement, Animal Welfare International** said that due to the El Niño phenomenon, summer precipitation has been delayed by five weeks, and many water sources in Ouangai National Park have bottomed out. **At least 100 elephants have been reported to have died due to lack of water. If there is no rain in the near future, "elephants and other wildlife will be in danger".
An adult elephant needs about 200 litres of water per day. Dafin Maderamoto, an ecologist with the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Service, said that "the number of deaths we are recording is getting bigger and bigger" due to the high dependence of elephants on water for survival.
More than 200 elephants died in Zimbabwe in 2019 due to severe drought, and now "this phenomenon is happening again", according to a statement from Animal Welfare International**. This shows that Zimbabwe's natural resource conservation faces deep and complex challenges.
Zimbabwe is home to about 100,000 elephants, the second largest number in the world after neighbouring Botswana. About 450,000 elephants live in Wangai National Park.
The area of Vaengai National Park is more than 1With 460,000 square kilometres, it is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Zimbabwe. Reuters, citing the National Parks and Wildlife Service**, reported that there is no major river crossing the park, and surface water is already insufficient, and animals rely mainly on manually dug boreholes or wells for water. But as water sources dwindle and high temperatures persist, the water in 104 boreholes or wells is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of animals, with mammals that are highly dependent on water, such as elephants, being the most affected.
Reuters reporters saw dozens of elephant carcasses near some water sources in Wangai National Park. Some environmental groups are trying to help deal with water scarcity by removing mud from puddles and increasing the amount of water pumped from wells.
The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Service reported in September that many animals had migrated early to neighbouring Botswana in search of water and food due to drought.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has designated southern Africa as a risk area, citing an increasing likelihood of extreme heat and reduced rainfall due to climate change. (Wang Xinfang).