a tenth rhinoceros died, the eleventh attacked by lions



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The Black Rhinoceros hecatomb continues in Kenya, where a tenth animal died after being changed from reserve and an eleventh was attacked by lions, the government said Thursday after opening an investigation into the nine deaths already listed.

The eleventh is "under observation". "A tenth rhinoceros died, but the eleventh was attacked by lions yesterday (Wednesday) and after treatment, he has been under observation," Najib Balala, Minister of Tourism and Tourism, said in a press conference.

These 10 dead animals were part of a group of 11 black rhinos, a species in great danger of extinction, who had been displaced on 26 June from Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks to Tsavo National Park. East in the south. Several Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) officials who have been involved in the transfer of the rhinoceros have been suspended, Najib Balala said.

"The organization of the displacement proved to be defective." The investigation ordered the last week by the minister to elucidate the causes of this fiasco reveal many gray areas in the management of this transfer. "According to the survey, these deaths are due to multiple stress syndromes, intensified by salt poisoning, dehydration, hunger and gastric problems," said Najib Balala.

Moving to a new habitat threatened animals, which must be asleep while traveling, is not without risks. But the death of animals during this type of operation is rare. "The organization of the trip has been flawed," said David Zimmerman, a veterinarian from the South African National Parks Organization, who contributed to the survey. According to him, the weather conditions at Tsavo-Est were not optimal and the method of releasing animals either.

Between 2005 and 2017, 149 rhinos were moved in the same way in Kenya and only eight died, according to the Ministry of Tourism. According to Save the Rhinos, there are fewer than 5,500 black rhinos in the world, all living in Africa. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that Kenya is home to 750.

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