More than 150 elephants have died in the Tsavo Conservation area in the last four months due to the effects of drought and poaching, an official has revealed.

The Assistant Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in charge of the Tsavo Conservation Area,   Jonathan Kirui, said 109 elephants had died between July and September while 30 had died since the beginning of October this year.

The official said 11 of the elephants had been killed by poachers in the same period and attributed this to the increase of trade in game meat.

Kirui further said that hundreds of other wild animals, mostly buffaloes, impalas and water bucks, were also dying due to the ravaging drought that has not spared the conservation areas.

He said that  drought has caused animals to migrate to other areas, causing human-wildlife conflicts that have led to the poaching of wild animals.

He was responding to concerns by the Italian Consul in Malindi, Roberto Macri, that the drought could adversely affect tourism due to the dwindling numbers of wild animals in the Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks.

Mr. Macri told journalists in Malindi that 110 out of the 400 elephants relocated from the Taita Hills National Reserve two years ago had died.

He said although the El Nino rains are expected to adversely affect tourism, they were welcome since they would help stop the deaths of animals in the parks.

"Buffaloes and elephants have been greatly affected by the drought. They have become very weak and malnourished ," he said.