From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A grueling two-year drought in Kenya has wiped out two per cent of the world's rarest zebra species and increased elephant deaths as well, as the climate crisis takes its toll on the east African nation's wildlife.
Animal carcasses rotting on the ground -- including giraffes and livestock -- have become a common sight in northern Kenya, where unprecedented dry spells are chipping away at already depleted food and water resources.
The Grevy Zebra, the world's rarest of the zebra species, has been the worst hit species by the drought.
Founder and Executive Director of the Grevy's Zebra Trust, Belinda Low Mackey, told CNN that the species' mortality rate would only rise if no significant rain falls on the region.
"If the approaching rainy season fails, Grevy's zebra face a very serious threat of starvation," she said. "Since June, we have lost 58 Grevy's zebra and mortality cases are rising as the drought intensifies."
Even the most drought-resistant animals are impacted. One is the camel, which is known to survive lengthy periods without water.
"Camels are a valuable resource for many people in this region," Suze van Meegen, an Emergency Response Manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in East Africa, told CNN. "The deserts of Kenya ... are now littered with their carcasses."
Kenya is on the brink of its fifth failed rainy season and its metrological department forecasts "drier-than-average conditions" for the rest of the year.
Conservationists are worried that many more endangered species will die.
"If the next rains fail ... we could expect to see a substantial spike in elephant mortality," says Frank Pope, who heads Kenya-based conservation charity Save the Elephants.
"We are seeing herds splintered into the smallest units ... as they try to eke out a living," he said. "Calves are being abandoned, and elderly elephants are dying. Without rain, others will soon follow."
As the dry spell persists, other endangered wildlife is fast going extinct.
The drought is also worsening poaching for bushmeat, which has risen among pastoralist communities in the north as the drought impacts other sources of income.
In some areas, Grevy's zebras are being poached in grazing reserves.
"The drought has led to increased poaching of Grevy's zebra due to large numbers of livestock converging on grazing reserves," Mackey said. "This has led to inter-ethnic conflict (sometimes animals get caught in crossfire) and poaching, as herders resort to living off wildlife."
Human-wildlife conflict has also fueled the killing of dozens of elephants that are forced to come in close contact with humans as they chase shrinking sources of food and water, said Pope of Save the Elephants.
"Last year, we lost half as many elephants to conflict with people as we did to poaching at the height of the ivory crisis 10 years ago," he tells CNN.
Nearly 400 elephants were lost to poaching 10 years ago, the highest in Kenya since 2005, according to a 2012 report by the country's wildlife service.
While government action against ivory trade has quelled ivory poaching in Kenya, poaching for bushmeat has persisted due to the drought and soaring food prices.
Since October 2020, four consecutive rainy seasons have failed in parts of Kenya and the Greater Horn of Africa. The UN says this is region's worst drought in 40 years.
More than four million Kenyans are "food insecure" due to the drought and over 3 million can't get enough water to drink.
The Grevy's Zebra Trust says it is helping endangered species survive the drought through supplementary feeding.
"We have one dedicated feeding team in each of the three national reserves (Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba). On average we are using 1,500 bales (of supplementary hay) per week," Mackey said, adding that other species such as oryx and buffalo were also benefiting.
However, interventions for elephants at a scale that could make an appreciable difference are difficult, says Pope.
"Providing new water sources can be counter-productive, for instance, causing local desertification," he said. "Save the Elephants concentrates on helping local people protect themselves from conflict (with stray elephants) and helps respond to incidents when conflict does occur."
Pope also worries that when the rains finally come, there might be less grass due to overgrazing by livestock.
"A bigger concern is the overgrazing that is starting to turn the fragile landscape to desert. When the rains do come there will be less grass, even as the pressure on the landscape increases."
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.