“The remains of two stunning
white giraffes that lived at a Kenyan wildlife sanctuary were found in a
skeletal state, rangers at the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy said on Tuesday.
“The mother giraffe and her calf
were killed by poachers, they said. The Kenya Wildlife Service was called to
the reserve after it was reported the giraffes hadn't been seen in quite a
while.
“Upon finding the bones, wildlife
officials estimated they had been there for at least four months.’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 giraffes,’ said Mohammed
Ahmednoor, manager of the reserve in Garissa County, Kenya, in a news release.
“They described the killing as ‘a
blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique
species,’ as well as ‘a wake-up call for continued support to conservation
efforts.’
“Just one white giraffe, a bull,
remains.
“The Kenya Wildlife Service is
investigating the incident. The female white giraffe first made headlines when
she was discovered, alongside her calf, in 2017.
“A second calf followed, and the
family of three lived a free-ranging life within the confines of the sanctuary,
where they generated a lot of interest from tourists around the world.
“Visitors flocked to see the
family of three, stretching for glimpses from behind the trees. Video of the
giraffe posted to YouTube racked
up over a million views. They were featured by USA Today, The Guardian, Inside
Edition, and National Geographic, among other outlets.
“‘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 in a big boost to tourism in the area,’ Ahmednoor said.
“The animals got their unique
coloring from a condition known as leucism, which is a genetic condition that
causes the giraffes' skin cells to fail to produce pigmentation. That results
in white, pale or patchy coloration of their hide.
“Unlike albinism, animals with
leucism continue to produce a dark pigment in their soft tissue, meaning the
giraffes' eyes were dark.
“The world's tallest land animal
has lost 40% of its population in just 30 years from poaching and wildlife
trafficking, the African Wildlife
Foundation estimates.
“Although the Kenya Wildlife
Service said the rare animals were the only three white giraffes left
in the world, another known white giraffe was
spotted in Tarangire National Park, in Tanzania, in January
2016. It wasn't immediately known what happened to that animal.”
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