As March and April temperatures hit 40 to 45 degrees Celsius (104 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit) in Colombia’s Orinoco River watershed, Colombian television aired images of thousands of dead cattle, capybaras, tortoises and crocodiles in the parched savannahs. The five-month dry season, which typically runs through April, often prompts water scarcity in the Orinoco basin, one of the great river habitats of the world. But never in living memory like this. At least 20,000 domesticated and wild animals have died in the eastern department of Casanare alone. Crops have been destroyed, and municipalities have been left without water for drinking and irrigation. “The farmers are crying because of this disaster,” a Casanare resident told the daily El Espectador. “There has never been so much... [Log in to read more]