A giraffe butchered by poachers in Kenya led to a gunfight with wildlife rangers in the Kenyan town of Wajir, near the border with Somalia.
The shootout between the two groups ended when the poachers escaped the scene, leaving behind several equipment and the carcass of the giraffe.
Poachers Kill Giraffe
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) made a Twitter post on Wednesday, November 9, reporting the encounter of its rangers with poachers.
The tweet highlights that the KWS rangers on Wednesday early morning received a tip-off from the public regarding a poaching incident in the Danyure area of Wajir, near the Kenya-Somalia border.
After receiving the "intelligence" information, the rangers then rushed to the poaching site where they encountered six armed men butchering the giraffe.
In the tweet, the security forces attached four photos related to the incident, including those showing three mobile phones and two motorcycles used by the poachers.
The other pictures also showed the dismembered and mutilated body of the giant mammal.
Also Read: Road to Extinction: African Giraffes Added to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Kenya Anti-Poaching Measures
In January 2021, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) reported that the total number of giraffe populations in Africa is less than 100,000, which is significantly less to the elephant population of approximately 415,000.
This means that ratio between the two mammals is 1:4 or there are four elephants for every one giraffe.
The AWF added that in spite of the said alarming figure, the conservation status of giraffes is overshadowed when it comes to conservation efforts.
Still, the foundation mentioned an event in August 2019 when it was voted to restrict the sale of giraffe parts during the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held in Geneva, Switzerland.
In November 2018, the AWF joined the KWS and other partners to launch a four-year giraffe conservation strategy called The Recovery and Action Plan for Giraffe in Kenya, which tackles the poaching challenge of the country in a holistic approach, including raising awareness, enhanced species protection, and improved monitoring of giraffe populations.
White Giraffes Killing Incident
The recent giraffe poaching incident in Kenya is only the tip of the iceberg since related acts have been committed even until this year.
Amid the common gruesome killings of giraffes, there is one particular related incident back two years ago that shocked both conservations and local authorities alike.
It was March 2020 when poachers in Kenya killed a rare white female giraffe and her calf; which were the only ones found in the world so far and has mesmerized wildlife enthusiasts due to their rare pigmentation.
Officials said the incident highlights the challenges of conservation and impact of poaching, as cited by The New York Times.
The deaths of the said white giraffes left a bull as part of a family of three.
The giraffes reportedly did not have albinism, but rather exhibited the symptoms of another genetic condition called as leucism, a biological phenomenon where animals experience a partial loss of pigmentation.
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