KWS probes death of rare rhino

Kenya has lost one of four rare white rhinos which were shipped from the Czech Republic about five years ago.

Laikipia Kenya Wildlife Service boss Richard Chepkwony said the animal at Ol Pejeta Conservancy could have died from natural causes on Friday morning.

“The northern White Rhinos came from a different environment and they take time to acclimatise. Our doctors have taken samples to our laboratory and government chemists for analysis to establish the cause of death,” Mr Chepkwony told the Nation by phone.

He said the laboratory results would be known by the end of this week.

Ol Pejeta chief executive Richard Vigne said the 34-year-old animal named Suni could have died due to old age as it had not been sick.

It had been feeding normally around 9pm on Friday.

“At around 6am Saturday morning rangers found it dead in its boma and we don’t know why. Its death has moved the northern white rhino species closer to extinction as there are only six animals remaining in the world now. Only three are capable of reproducing,” Mr Vigne said.

VERGE OF EXTINCTION
A statement released by the conservancy said Suni was one of the last two breeding males in the world.

“Consequently, the species is now at the brink of extinction, a sorry testament to the greed of the human race. We will continue to do what we can to work with the remaining three animals in Ol Pejeta in the hope that our efforts will one day result in the successful birth of a Northern White Rhino calf,” the statement said.

Kenya Wildlife Service Communications Manager Paul Udoto said KWS veterinary officers would conduct a post-mortem exam to establish what caused the animal’s death.

Mr Udoto noted that Suni’s father, Saut, died in 2006 at a similar age, indicating that the age factor could be a likely cause.

Suni was born 34 years ago at the Dvur Kralove Zoo — the first-ever northern white rhino to be born in captivity. Together with another male and two females, it was trans-located from the zoo to Ol Pejeta in 2009 in an operation dubbed “the last chance of survival”.

“It is very sad that this iconic species is edging closer to extinction,” Mr Udoto said.

The Dvur Kralove Zoo warned that the sub-species was on the verge of extinction, experts said Saturday. Suni, “was probably the last male capable of breeding”.

There are only six of the very rare rhinos left, having been hunted by poachers in Central and East Africa for their horns, which are highly prized for traditional Chinese medicine.

Additional reporting by Agencies