Extremely rare white giraffe and her calf killed by poachers in Kenya
11 March 2020, 08:13
An extremely rare white giraffe and her calf have been slaughtered by poachers in Kenya leaving just one of the creatures left in the world.
The animals’ dead bodies were found in a village in Kenya’s north eastern Garissa County.
Conservationists said a third white giraffe is still alive but it is believed to be the only other one remaining on the face of the. earth.
The animals were photographed in 2017, sparking wonder around the world. Their rare appearance is due to a condition called leucism, which cuases their skin cells to have no pigmentation.
manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, Mohammed Ahmednoor, said: “"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.”
The poachers have not been identified and the motive is not clear.
The Kenya Wildlife Society is investigating.
The white giraffes were first spotted in Kenya in March 2016, about two months after a sighting in neighbouring Tanzania.
