Tenth endangered rhinoceros dies in Kenya after botched transfer

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – A tenth critically endangered black rhino died in Kenya after being moved to a Rescuers have been attacked by lions, wildlife authorities said on Thursday, which some environmental defenders have called a national disaster.

The acting director of the Kenya Wildlife Service was dismissed and several other officials were suspended. "The rhino was moved last month from the capital, Nairobi, to the rhino sanctuary of Tsavo East National Park, said wildlife minister Najib Balala

Preliminary studies show that rhinos are dying from intensified stress. Salt poisoning. "The animals were dehydrated, agitated" and drinking more water only made the problem worse, said Peter Gathumbi, professor of veterinary pathology at "Shame, shame, shame," wrote Paula Kahumbu, a prominent Kenyan ecologist, in an article on Facebook in which she regretted that she had not questioned the transfer of rhinoceros.

The Ministry of Wildlife Kenya has described rhinoceros death as "unprecedented" in more than a decade of such transfers.He said that he had carried 149 rhinos between 2005 and 2017, losing only eight to eight. them during this period.

Nature conservationists in Africa have worked hard to protect black rhinoceros subspecies from poachers Asian market

According to the WWF, black rhinoceros populations have declined significantly in the 20th century, mainly in the hands of European hunters and settlers. Between 1960 and 1995, the numbers declined from 98% to less than 2,500.

Since then, the subspecies has rebounded, although it remains extremely threatened. In addition to poaching, animals also face habitat loss. African Parks, a conservation group based in Johannesburg, said earlier this year that there were fewer than 25,000 rhinos in the African wilderness, about 20% of which are black rhinos. In another major setback for conservation, the last remaining male white rhino died in March in Kenya, leaving conservatives struggling to save this subspecies using in vitro fertilization.

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