Game killed in Mara, Serengeti fires

By Kipchumba Kemei

Mara, Kenya: Conservationists have said the raging fires in Masai Mara Game Reserve and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania have killed wild animals and destroyed their habitats.

They said yesterday the fires, which started a week ago, have killed, among others birds, snakes, and also destroyed vegetation.

They have also expressed fears that if it is not put out, it would burn down hotels and other establishments. He pleaded with Kenya and Tanzania authorities to put it out.

“The fires have killed wild animals and destroyed their habitats. There are fears that if it is not contained soon, it will spread to hotels,” said their spokesperson Nick Murero, the Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem Coordinator for Lake Victoria Basin.

Murero accused Narok County Council and the Serengeti National Park management for starting the fires to tame illegal grazing, claiming that the annual exercise was detrimental to wildlife and their habitat.

“If there is need to contain illegal grazing and vegetation growth then it should be executed with proper control by the two countries management,” said the official, who added that most species of birds have been killed and their nests burnt.

The two ecosystems, the conservationists observed, would take long to regenerate the grass burnt and affect the spectacular game viewing.

They spoke as fire fighters from the two countries battled to control it. Their efforts to put it off was also being aided by heavy rains.