Of the Gr\u00e9vy\u2019s zebra, Mutahi says, \u201cThe white stripes are more distinctive than the black ones to reflect the heat. It allows them to regulate their body temperature and not be thirsty for a long period.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facing high temperatures and water scarcity, regulating body temperature is crucial, as it means the animal requires less water to survive.<\/p>\n
In Kenya, there are two kinds of zebras: the plains zebra (E. quagga), the most common and widespread, and the larger Gr\u00e9vy\u2019s zebra with its distinctive stripes. With only around 2,000 individuals remaining in the wild, the Gr\u00e9vy\u2019s zebra is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are also able to extract moisture from the vegetation and therefore reduce their need for water. They can stay for almost over 10 days without even taking any water,\u201d Mutahi tells Mongabay. The ability to hydrate through their diet is a characteristic shared by all of the Special Five, according to the scientist.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, the gerenuk, in addition to surviving several days without fresh water, has a very long neck, which allows it to feed on vegetation that grows high up,\u201d Mutahi says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about adaptation. If these populations had to move elsewhere, they would not survive because they are adapted to these specific temperatures and vegetation.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the Horn of Africa is suffering from the effects of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), \u201cthe frequency of droughts has doubled, increasing from every six years to every three years\u201d since 2005 in this area.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the region, there is a cycle of heavy rain and droughts, but because of climate change, when the rains come, it\u2019s somewhat \u2026heavier than it used to be,\u201d explains Paul Lane, archaeologist and professor at the University of Cambridge who has worked in the area and wrote a research paper on climate change in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. \u201cThe ground cannot absorb this water. So, we\u2019re getting much more severe flooding. Same for the droughts. \u2026 We end up with vegetation that no longer regenerates as it did before.\u201d<\/p>\n As vegetation disappears, resources for the Special Five are dwindling. In Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, the past four years have been marked by record droughts that have destroyed crops and decimated livestock among pastoral communities. In 2023, the United Nations estimated that more than 22 million people will face acute food insecurity in this region.<\/p>\n \u201cNow there is competition between wildlife and livestock,\u201d Mutahi says. \u201cMost of the time, the livestock wins because the herders will be chasing away the wild animals so that their animals can have priority to water and food.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, all five of these species are threatened, according to the IUCN Red List, with three of them \u2014 the reticulated giraffe, the Gr\u00e9vy\u2019s zebra and the beisa oryx \u2014 listed as endangered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very, very rare to see any wildlife outside of a protected area in those localities in my experience,\u201d Lane says. In Kenya, the Special Five are largely constricted to Samburu National Reserve and the Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves.<\/p>\n Traditionally, nomadic herding populations have coexisted peacefully with wildlife for millennia.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a symbiotic relationship between the presence of herders in African savannas and biodiversity,\u201d Lane explains. \u201cHerding populations move their livestock around, pen them, and the dung accumulates, enriching the soil and creating nutrient hotspots. Those nutrients enable certain grasses to thrive \u2014 the same grasses that grazing wild animals want to eat. So, then you get higher ungulate populations, which attract the carnivores. \u2026 These nutrient hotspots also have a much higher density of insects, often leading to a greater diversity of bird species.\u201d<\/p>\n But this delicate balance has been disrupted by climate change, which has intensified competition between herders and wildlife.<\/p>\n Added to this competition is the geopolitical situation. Somalia has been in civil war for nearly 35 years, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and forced nearly 1 million people to flee. Although a federal government was formed in 2012, it controls only parts of the country, while many areas remain under the authority of Harakaat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujaahiduun (Al-Shabaab), a jihadist group of Salafist ideology.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Ethiopia\u2019s security situation remains highly volatile. Two major conflicts stand out: in the north, in Tigray, and in the south near the Kenyan border, where the Oromo \u2014 Ethiopia\u2019s largest ethnic group \u2014 are seeking autonomy. From this struggle emerged the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed rebellion against the Addis Ababa government.<\/p>\n The insurgent groups \u201care targeting this wildlife either to sell them but not only,\u201d Mutahi says. \u201cGiraffes have been targeted as a source of protein and meat. The Grevy\u2019s zebra is targeted to get the hide and sell it on the international market because it\u2019s very unique.\u201d<\/p>\n In April, Kenya passed its Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill, \u201can act of Parliament to provide for the protection, conservation, sustainable use and management of wildlife in Kenya.\u201d The law enables the creation of the Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund, which aims, among other things, to finance anti-poaching activities.<\/p>\n Under the new law, Indigenous people and local communities will still have the right to use wildlife resources for cultural and religious events, but it is hoped that the new law will deter poachers. Any person caught poaching could face a fine of 5 million kenyan shillings (around $39,000) and\/or 10 years\u2019 imprisonment. In comparison, the GDP per capita of a Kenyan amounts to around $2,200.<\/p>\n