LAIKIPIA DISTRICT, Northern Kenya – It was a shocking sight and the putrid smell almost made me vomit: A hundred dead cows were spread across the dry plain in various stages of decomposition. Flies buzzed around their insides which had oozed onto the dry grass. Organs lay exposed and body parts, legs, heads and ears littered the earth.
Other dead cows were untouched. Jeremiah Lemiruni, a Samburu leader, strode among them, while I kept my eyes fixed to the ground, fearful of treading on some molding skin or rotting corpse. We were followed by a dozen tribesmen in red blankets carrying spears and clubs. They poked sadly at the carcasses as Jeremiah explained: "The older ones were killed by bullets, the rest died from the drought."
A six-hour drive through the Ololoque hills and Samburu bush land of northern Kenya reveals the devastating impact of years of poor-to-no rainfall.
This state of affairs in Kenya will eventually spread across the globe. Oil will be a minute concern as we scramble for what will be THE number one commodity - water. Feeding the problem is the world's number one issue - overpopulation.
It's happening all over the world as rivers, lakes and aquifers dry up, even in the United States. Cap'n Cat is not taking sides in the Global Warming debate. He's just offering this up for discussion.
