That is in keeping with other African mountains, including the highest, Mount Kilimanjaro, which has just 8.6 percent of its ice surface left, according to the study.

Although less well-known than Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Elephants can sometimes be seen in the dense forest at its base, while the trees give way to verdant hills on the ascent. After long hours of hiking, the brown rocks of the summit appear.

Prinz said the ice shrinkage is down to temperature changes at the surface of the Indian Ocean that transport moisture throughout east Africa, "and, hence, affected by our warming planet".

The mountains no longer receive sufficient snow and are deprived of the white blanket that protects the glaciers from the effects of solar radiation, he said.