IT is very dry in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park, and the animals there are struggling to find vital water sources. The bad news is that rain isn’t expected to fall again until November, but the good news is that there are people willing to bring water to the animals by the truckload until that happens.

    Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua is the founder of Tsavo Volunteers, a group of animal lovers who look after the vulnerable wildlife of Tsavo National Park. Poachers are generally their biggest problem, but these days, the drought is threatening to kill even more animals.

    The prolonged drought has made water “a very precious commodity,” and thirsty animals sometimes have to walk long distances to find the few watering holes that haven’t dried up. Due to their scarcity, elephants often fight each other for the right to drink, which leaves the smaller, weaker ones at risk of dying. But Patrick and his team are not about to let that happen.

    To compensate for the lack of rain, they have started renting water trucks and delivering 12,000 liters of water to a couple of popular watering holes in Tsavo, at least four times a week.

    They drive 45 miles (72 km) and try to fill up the holes with as much water as possible. Patrick says that the thirsty animals appear to understand that he and his team are trying to help, and so far they have never attacked the water trucks.

    But renting the water trucks costs money — US$250 per run, to be exact, and Patrick needs help to continue his mission. He has contacted U.S.-based Cher Callaway, an equally dedicated animal activist, and asked her to spread the word about the dire situation in Tsavo. She set up a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, which recently went viral. The set goal is US$150,000, and, over the last five months, 2,569 people have pledged over US$111,000 to his cause.

    (SD-Agencies)