Every ten years or so, the Tsavo West National Park in Kenya experiences a massive drought that wreaks havoc on the animals who live there. The park is home to millions of animals that include elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, buffaloes, and countless rare and threatened bird and plant species.

Last year, Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua noticed how much the animals were suffering due to the drought, so he decided to do something about it. He works as a pea farmer in a nearby village, and he has seen firsthand just how bad these droughts are.

“We aren’t really receiving rain the way we used to,” Patrick said. “So I started giving animals water because I thought, ‘If I don’t do that, they will die.’”

Each day, Patrick takes the filler truck that he uses on his farm and fills it with 3,000 gallons of fresh water. He then drives several hours out into the savannah. Once the animals hear his truck coming, the animals run towards him, as they know that he is bringing them the water that they need.

“Last night, I found 500 buffalo waiting at the waterhole,” he said. “When I arrived they could smell the water… They started drinking water while I was standing there. They get so excited.”

This isn’t the only thing Patrick has done to help the animals. He also has made gravel-lined watering holes that will keep the precious liquid from seeping into the parched earth before the animals have a chance to drink it.

“There is completely no water, so the animals are depending on humans,” Patrick said. “If we don’t help them, they will die.”

Local residents have started calling Patrick “Water Man” because of his efforts to help these animals. A GoFundMe page that was started to help his efforts has raised almost half a million dollars in donations.

We applaud Patrick for doing so much to help animals who need it!