Meet the guardian angel who is buying water for wild animals in Tsavo -PHOTOS
Early morning as most people wake up to prepare themselves to go to their place of work, Patrick Mwalua prepares himself to spend his day with the animals at Tsavo West National Park.
But no, he is not a local tourist. His mission is to deliver thousands of litres of water for the animals who are becoming desperate as their water holes are slowly drying up due to the ongoing drought
With a hired water bowser every morning, Mwalua leaves Voi town driving 70 km in the wilderness looking for the animals and proceeds to fill the bone-dry watering holes in the region.
“It was in June last year when visiting the Tsavo that I noticed that the water holes were dry and animals were sitting around them looking very desperate,” says Mr Mwalua told Nairobi News.
He then shared the idea of taking water to the animals on his social media platforms and received a lot of positive responses.
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
He started off with one water bowser, which he hires, in total costing Sh22, 000.
However, with the support of well-wishers he now makes two to three trips in a day.
A crowd funding page on Go Fund Me has raised Sh9.2 million ($90,768) since it was set up five months ago. The target is Sh 15.2 million ($150,000).
Mr Mwalua, who is a pea farmer, grew up in a village close to the Tsavo that enabled him to have a passion for wildlife conservation.
“With the support I have been receiving I am looking to getting my own water bowser and also in future sink boreholes and dams that will help with the water situation. But the drought is real and we really need to find a solution to help our wildlife,” he says.
He says the animals have now come to know the sound of his truck as some usually come to drink directly from the hose as they are impatient to wait for the water holes to fill up.
Want to donate towards this worthy cause? Visit here.
