Poachers kill two rhinos at Lewa Conservancy

Two Southern white rhinos were killed on Friday night by poachers at the Lewa conservancy. 

According to Lewa Conservancy Chief Operations Manager Dr Tuqa Jirmo, the rhinos were found killed and their horns chopped off along the fence.

However, nobody has been arrested in connection with the poaching incident that happened after five years of non-poaching incidences within the conservancy.

“It is a devastating incident because we have not lost any rhinos since 2013 due to poaching. Today, the rhinos were found in the morning dead with horns chopped off,” Dr Jirmo said.

He said the conservancy hosts one of the largest population of rhinos in the country. The last poaching incident within the conservancy was experienced in 2013.

However, he added that poaching is the major threat to rhino population adding that investigations are underway as the Kenya Wildlife Service and police have joined efforts to track down the poachers.

By September 1, the conservancy had 105 black rhinos and 99 southern white rhinos, translating to 13 per cent of Kenya’s black rhino population.

Currently, the national population of black rhinos is estimated at slightly over 760 black rhinos and 620 southern white rhinos.

The incident comes four months after another black rhino was poached at Lake Nakuru National Park in July.

Increased poaching incidences are being recorded even as scientists are making frantic efforts to bring back the northern white rhinos from extinction.

In August, a ground-breaking procedure to harvest eggs from the two remaining northern white rhinos in the world took place in Ol Pejeta, Laikipia, an action that has placed Kenya’s conservation efforts on the map.