Heavy rains currently being experienced in parts of Kenya are leaving a trail of destruction with the latest incident claiming the lives of 8 buffaloes.
According to a statement by the Kenya Wildlife Service KWS the 8 buffaloes were electrocuted when they walked into active power lines that had been brought down by heavy rains.
The wooden support carrying high voltage, came down at the Lake Nakuru National Park, killing the animals instantly. KWS says Kenyas power provider, the Kenya Power of Lighting is working on replacing the wooden cross arms with metallic ones.
Lake Nakuru National Park hosts a variety of wildlife species. Death by electrocution in Kenyas parks is a concern. Three years ago Kenya Power undertook to protect animals from such incidents following the death of 3 giraffes in similar circumstances at the Soysambu conservancy. The company’s CEO Bernard Ngugi had assured that no animal will ever die in electricity related accidents.
A study published by the International Journal of Primatology on the spatial patterns of primate electrocutions in Diani Kenya in 2018, identified electrocution as the leading threat to primate species in Kenya.
The study shows that there is a gap in effective evidence based mitigation strategies. It proposed that conservancies understand the spatial distribution of electrocutions to prioritise high risk areas.