As government and relief agencies scramble to save human populations from starvation, wildlife authorities have warned that poachers are targeting weakened wildlife that are also dying in droves amid increased drought-related competition for scarce food and water.
"The current drought has increased human-animal conflict," Kenya Wildlife Service spokeswoman Connie Maina told AFP.
And drought-induced deadly anthrax has killed scores of endangered Grevy's zebras in northern Kenya while reduced water levels have also killed nearly 100 hippos in the country, officials say.
Last month, Kenya Wildlife Service rangers arrested eight suspected poachers and recovered 10 elephant tusks and a vervet monkey in the country's central Rift Valley, amid fears that the illegal practices were on the increase across the East African nation.
"Environmental crime is a growing problem that is increasingly linked to other crimes such as smuggling, fraud, money laundering, weapons offences and drugs," Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said in a message to the seminar that was sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"Just a month ago, authorities in Cameroon rescued an infant chimpanzee and seized 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of marijuana in the same incident. Poaching endangered species is an increasingly lucrative and relatively easy activity and we need to tackle this international problem on an international scale," Noble said.
