Two Rare White Giraffes Slaughtered by Poachers in Kenya
Spotted first in 2017, two extremely rare white giraffes have been killed by poachers in Kenya. Rangers found the carcasses of the animals in a village in northeastern Kenya’s Garissa County. The conservancy is in a vast unfenced area with several villages in its vicinity, which sometimes causes hindrance in wildlife conservation.
Two rare white giraffes were killed by poachers in Kenya / Image: Aljazeera
Wildlife officials announced in a statement on March 10 that a female giraffe and its seven-month-old calf were found “in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers” in a nature conservancy in Ijara, northeastern Kenya.
A third white giraffe, the young male offspring of the dead female, is believed to be still alive. According to the conservationists, it is supposed to be the only remaining one in the world.
The manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, Mohammed Ahmednoor, said that two killed giraffes were last spotted more than three months ago.
This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole. We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe. Its killing is a blow to the tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species and a wake-up call for continued support to conservation efforts.
The news of the white giraffes spread across the globe after they were spotted and filmed by the rangers during a patrol in 2017. After their discovery, the animals made headlines owing to their white appearances. It is a result of a rare genetic condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation. However, it allows other organs, like eyes, to be dark-colored.
A few conservationists were worried at the time that certain fame would make them quite vulnerable to poaching and unfortunately, they became a victim to the cruelty of man.
The Kenya Wildlife Society, the main conservation body in the East African state, was investigating the killings. However, the poachers have not been identified yet and their motive still remains unclear.
Hopefully, the culprits will be caught soon and brought to justice.
Via: Unilad
