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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Peter Muiruri in Marungu

‘When we plant, they come’: thirsty elephants pose new problem for drought-hit Kenyan farmers

Elephants with tusks drink water from the ground at night
Elephants drinking water in Tsavo national park. Adults can consume up to 200 litres a day. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

When Francis Mutuku settled 35 years ago in Marungu, in Kenya’s south-eastern Taita-Taveta county, he had no concerns about how he would feed himself or a future family.

Back then, the rains would come on time and he would harvest about 60 bags of maize and 20 bags of mung beans, enough to have a surplus for sale.

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