Poachers have killed the only female white giraffe in Kenya as well as her calf
The pair were killed at Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy in Garissa County. Mohammed Ahmednoor, manager of the conservancy confirmed the deaths on Tuesday, March 10.
He stated that they had only found the skeletons of the rare animals after a long search carried out by members of the community and rangers at the conservancy.
The conservancy was home to three white giraffes but after the killings, only the bull remains.
Mohammed Ahmednoor expressed his sadness at the findings stating that the killing was a blow to conservancy efforts in the region and the country.
“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 tremendous
steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species and a wakeup call for
continued support to conservation efforts,” said Mohammed.
Watch a video of the white giraffe roaming in Ishaqbini:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/RV3T9Uo8G5U.jpg?itok=BpbMwuZf","video_url":"
The white giraffe grabbed national attention in 2017 when it was discovered. Its unique white hide made it easy to spot in the wild. The distinctive color is a result of a condition known as leucism.
Ahmednoor added that the death of the giraffes was a great loss to the field of research and the studies that were being conducted to understand the unique pigmentation of the animals.
“This is a long term loss given that genetics studies and research which were significant
investment into the area by researchers, has now gone to the drain. Further to this, the white
giraffe was a big boost to tourism in the area,” said Ahmednoor.
Aside from the bull that's been left in Kenya, the only other white giraffe in East Africa was spotted in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania in 2016.
The giraffes had already been flagged as being at greater risk because of their distinctive colour. Ahmed Maalim, manager of the Ishaqbini Community Conservancy highlighted this danger in October 2019.
He stated, "We are doing our best to monitor and protect them, seeing as they could be more vulnerable than other giraffes."
All giraffes in Kenya are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As of 2019, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) estimated that only 15,780 remained in the wild, a decline of over 50% from three decades back.
Poaching is one of the major threats to giraffes in Kenya.
