An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought in Lamu, Kenya
An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought in Lamu, Kenya
An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought.

Shocking photos show the Mkunumbi and Lake Kenyatta hippos suffering sunburn after getting stuck in former watering holes under the blistering sun in Lamu, Kenya.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has been frantically ferrying water to lakes, dams and rivers to avoid any more deaths - after more than 30 hippos perished in the mud.

The charity Care for the Wild Kenya released horrifying pictures of the suffering mammals to highlight the need for action.

They told of the urgent need for water pumps, diesel and labour to get water pumping to rescue the trapped hippos.

'This is an appeal with regard to the Mkunumbi and Lake Kenyatta hippos in Lamu,' the charity wrote on Facebook.

'The situation's gotten worse. To start off, we need to get immediate relief to the hippos, i.e hay and water, we're working on the logistics for this and are hoping to make a delivery as soon as possible.

'To get the water pumping for now, we need water pumps, pipes, diesel and labour, as we work on sustainable water solutions for the future.'

Earlier this month the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) started massive water tracking to rescue thousands of wild animals facing drought.

More than 30 hippos and hundreds of buffaloes, antelopes and gazelles are already thought to have died in Lamu after getting stuck in mud.

They started rescue operations to help at least 60 hippos stuck at Lake Kenyatta, while 50 more are also stuck at Mkunumbi Dam, just 10 km from the lake.

The hippos are believed to have gone to the dam from Lake Kenyatta looking for water after the Mpeketoni Lake dried up, according to All Africa.

And at Lake Chomo at least 23 hippos and their calves are stuck in mud, with an unknown number having already died.

Lamu County KWS Senior Warden Jacob Orale said they are working non-stop to rescue as many animals alive as possible.

'We have already begun an exercise to remove wildlife stuck in mud across the county to reduce further deaths,' he explained.

'We are also carrying out intense water tracking which simply means spraying and filling up water points in the various areas including lakes and dams where the hippos are stuck to keep them hydrated.

'We believe the water tracking will also loosen the consistency of the mud to enable the animals walk freely out of the mud. We want to save the animals from perishing due to the drought.'

The Kenyan drought is the result of unreliable rainfall over the last three years.

It has led to the United Nations to appeal for 166 million dollars to address the problem - which has threatened lives of thousands of Kenyans.

'The unreliable rain is causing thirst and hunger, decimating livestock, destroying livelihoods, spreading disease, and causing large movements of people. Half of Kenya's 47 counties are affected by what the Government has declared a national drought disaster,' said the U.N. in a statement.