In recent months, Kenya’s wild species and habitats have been severely affected by a long dry spell. Lamu wildlife rangers desperately tried to protect wild animals by stopping pastoralists driving their cattle into the Amu region, but people who live alongside the animals were desperate too.

Domestic animals died from thirst or starvation throughout the dry spell and Lamu’s wildlife also suffered, resulting in a number of orphaned animals. Hippos, who need large quantities of mud to cool their bodies were struggling to find large expanses of water. Thankfully, the rains have arrived across Lamu restoring life and biodiversity in this fragile ecosystem. The arrival of giraffe and buffalo are signs that life is returning to the area in search of fresh greens and water pans.