Kenya’s conservation efforts have been dealt a blow after poachers pounced on two rhinos.
Two southern white rhinos have been shot and killed in central Kenya, and their horns stolen.
On Friday night, around 11pm poachers sneaked into the highly secured electric-fenced Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Meru County and killed the two rhinos before carting away their horns.
Chief Operations Officer Dr Tuqa Jirmo confirmed the incident.
“This incident serves as a reminder that the threat from poaching is ever present, and all sanctuaries holding rhinos cannot afford to be complacent. The poaching scourge and illegal rhino horn trade continue to put the survival of rhinos at risk across the continent.” Dr Jirmo said in a statement sent to media.
White rhinos are one of the five species of rhinoceros. They're further divided into two subspecies: northern and southern white rhinos. Northern white rhinos are smaller than southern ones, with straight backs, flat skulls, no grooves between their ribs, hairy ears and tails, and squat front horns. Southern white rhinos are larger, have concave skulls and backs with pronounced shoulder humps, more overall body hair, grooves between their ribs, and longer front horns.
In Africa there are currently 5,055 black rhinos, listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and 20,405 white rhinos.
As of September this year, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy had 105 black and 99 southern white rhinos.
Meanwhile, a middle aged man was mauled and eaten by a lion at Tuala, Oloosirkon Ward Kajiado East Constituency over the weekend.
The lone lion had escaped from Nairobi National Park sending panic to residents living in the area.
His remains, only head and an arm, were found on Monday morning by a passer-by at a bridge near Nazarene University, a few kilometers from Ongata Rongai town with the lion still in the vicinity.
The man identified as Rono Kipkurui Simon had left his place of work Friday evening and was said to be heading home when the attack occurred.
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