Over twenty Tortoises have vanished from Hyrax Pre-historic Site, a protected natural environment and museum in Nakuru, due to the ongoing drought.
According to Hyrax Pre-historic Site & Museum Public Relations officer, Zakayo Akwaro, the tortoise have been a tourist attraction site.
“The Tortoise pit has been a big attraction to tourists and other visitors but it is unfortunate that the animals have escaped from the pit and wandered outside the park,” said Akwaro.
He adds that animals may have disappeared in search of favourable survival conditions outside the site.
He, however, says that the animals could have encountered danger and died due to the harsh weather conditions being experienced everywhere.
Akwaro said the museum had appealed to surrounding communities to alert the museum of any stray tortoises instead of harming or illegally detaining them.
In the past residents have been accused of illegally hunting down tortoises and slaughtering them for food or selling them to local entertainment spots and private individuals for domestication.
Late last year two carpenters were arrested of slaughtering a tortoise they had collected in bushes around the museum.