Eight rare rhinos have died during an operation aimed at their salvation

Eight black rhinos died in Kenya during an operation to save a rare species. The Kenya Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has issued a statement on this topic in the context of a broad critique of nature advocates, writes LiveScience.

Rhinoceroses were hunted from Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks to a newly established reserve in Tsavo Oriental National Park. Transport was organized to create a new population, it was part of the Kenyan National Strategy for the Conservation of Rhinos.

Only fourteen rhinos were to be transported to the new park, but for some reason only eleven individuals went on the road. After the move, eight animals died.

Preliminary studies have shown that rhinos poisoned with salt from temporary containers to drink. The salt content in this water was higher than in the place where the animals lived previously. The salt water provoked their thirst and they continued to drink, which led to a "vicious circle". The full report on the causes of death that local officials have promised to submit after opening and investigation.

"This transport can only be described as a total disaster," said Paula Kaumbu, executive director of the WildlifeDirect movement. "Kenyans must demand full explanation and transparency, as well as guarantees that it will not happen again."

Kenyan experts were carrying newborns. From 2005 to 2017, 149 rhinos were moved to new locations, of which only eight died (excluding eight killed in 2018.)

The black rhinos are about to disappear. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, about 850,000 black rhinos lived on Earth in the 20th century, now their numbers have decreased to 4,880 individuals.