Tsavo West National Park in Kenya has been suffering from a severe drought. The place has been struck by a terrible dry spell and the prolonged drought is unfavorable to both humans and animals alike.
Because of this situation, a lot of people find it hard to keep their agricultural activities here, which lead to a decrease in crop yields. As a result, many animals in the park suffered as their water holes are slowly drying up.
Thanks to the help of this man who was dubbed as “Kenya’s water man” for saving these animals from severe dehydration.
41-year-old Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua, a pea farmer in a small Kenyan village drives for hours to deliver water to the wild animals of Kenya’s Tsavo West National Park.
Every day, Patrick spends a few hours driving his massive water truck, carrying over 3,000 gallons of fresh water to the park. When he reached his destination, he empties the load of his truck by filling the big concrete bowls or water holes where the animals drink from.
Some of the animals that can be seen waiting in the area for “Kenya’s water man” to refill the dry water bowl are elephants, zebras, antelopes, and even buffaloes.
As soon as the animals hear the sound of the truck, they will come rushing towards him. Patrick recalled one incident where he found over 500 buffaloes waiting near a watering hole for his truck.
He said: “When I arrived, they could smell the water. The buffalo were so keen and coming close to us. They started drinking while I was standing there. They get so excited.”
Fortunately, his passion for wildlife hasn’t gone unnoticed and inspired a group of three American women. They set up a GoFundMe page for Patrick and raised over $130,000 from the contribution of people around the world just to keep his mission going.
source: gtgoodtimes