Alarm after seven rhinos die at Tsavo National Park

Seven black rhinos are reported to have died shortly after they were relocated from Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks to the Tsavo East National Park.

The seven were part of a crash of 12 rhinos that had been moved following a translocation effort by Kenya Wildlife Service, supported by WWF.

It is not known what happened to the rhinos which are some of the most endangered species in the world and questions will be raised over what exactly happened.

“We are extremely concerned to hear reports that seven black rhinos have died in Tsavo East National Park after being moved from Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks as part of a translocation programme by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS),” said Mohamed Awer, CEO of WWF-Kenya.

“Translocating wild animals of this size is extremely challenging and not without risk, but black rhinos are
under enormous threat so efforts to try and better protect them, such as translocations, are crucial for
future generations.”

Mohamed Awer said they will bring in experts to investigate and determine what exactly happened to the rhinos.

“At a time when three rhinos are poached on average a day for their horns, any losses are particularly
painful. WWF is in contact with KWS to confirm the full situation and offer our support in launching an
urgent independent assessment of what happened.”

According to Earth Watch, as a result of extensive poaching, there are only about 540 rhinos left in Kenya.