Climate change is causing unpredictable

weather
Climate change is an unpredictable factor affecting these animals. During my
time in East Africa, the one thing many locals shared with me was that the
current weather patterns are changing. January/February is typically the dry
season, yet everything was green and it rained almost every day.

Contrary to this year, East Africa experienced terrible droughts just a few
years ago. Unfortunately, this caused huge amounts of animals in certain
areas to die of thirst. The animals rely on rain, as it’s essential for food and
water. Most people don’t know the rain also shapes their movements during
their migration cycle. The growing unpredictability in the weather affects the
movements, behaviours and the wildlife population numbers.

Image source:@heynadine

Human-wildlife conflict is a huge factor, too

The effect of human settlements

As human settlements increase and spread out, we’re pushing animals out of
their natural habitats. This continuously happens all around the world. It’s a
big factor in East Africa with migration routes changing or, in some places,
being completely cut off. Expanding farms and the construction of roads,
fences and structures make it increasingly difficult for wildlife to navigate these
areas, which they’re accustomed to reigning over. Therefore, these obstacles
confuse the animals and can cause them to turn back, preventing them from
completing their instinctual journey.
The impact of new routes and roads

Currently, there are a number of roads crossing the natural migratory routes,
interfering with the path of the Great Migration. There are also more proposals
to build large, asphalt highways to connect the country together. This will also
directly interrupt the path of the animals. As the country further develops and
more cities, roads and structures are built, the problem will continue to grow
and it’s seemingly up to local communities and wildlife supporters to find
solutions.