Elephants in the African nation of Mali are sadly dying because of the worst drought in 26 years. The scorching heat not only means that there is no water, but that vegetation is dying and causing a shortage of
food. The severe heat is also a risk to younger elephants whose bodies cannot cope.
Some baby elephants have been so desperately searching for water that they have lowered their trunks too far into wells and fallen in. The elephants then become trapped, and the distressed parents are unable to help them out.
In a recent heartbreaking
news release , Save the Elephants, an organization that focuses on helping elephant populations around the globe, said that six elephants have already been found dead and four others, including three babies, were recently freed from a shallow well.
Over the years, the desert elephants have adapted to the severe conditions of the land, but the current situation is pushing the elephants to the brink of extinction. Baby elephants are in the most danger because their trunks are smaller and they can't reach deep enough into the wells to drink the water. The unbearable heat has also killed many heads of cattle in the area.
While the deaths of a few elephants may not seem extraordinary, when you consider there are only between 350 and 450 of these elephants left, any blow to the fragile population is devastating. These remaining animals have been dubbed 'the last elephants of Timbuktu,' or the 'lastSahelian elephants' according to Save the Elephants.
Every year the elephants travel farther on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert to find much-needed water. The animals have the longest migration route of any elephants in Africa and travel about 700 kilometers (435 miles).
The Mali region of Africa is home to a diverse range of interesting wildlife, from the large Manatee to the tiny Bushbaby, shy Aardvarks to cheeky Chimpanzees. All of these animals are struggling to find fresh water to live.
Because there is very little drinkable water in the area, the elephants find themselves having to drink the dirtiest of water that humans won't drink and have left behind. This in turn can cause disease and death for the animals.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel though as the rains that usually start in June will enable the animals to drink out of shallow ponds until the heavier rain starts to fall in July or August.
But until the rainy season, Save the Elephants has stated that urgent action is needed to make sure the animals have enough water to survive. The organization has recently partnered with the Mali government in hopes to raise enough funds to keep the elephants hydrated, but aid agencies already have their hands full with the plight of the Mali people, many of whom are suffering from malnutrition and severe poverty.
If you want to help the elephants survive this drought, you can donate any amount, large or small at their fundraising page at Just Giving.
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