World's only female white giraffe killed by poachers, future of 'unique species' now uncertain
The world's only female white giraffe and her calf have been killed by poachers in Kenya, conservationists revealed on Tuesday, March 10.
The death of the female white giraffe and her calf is a major blow for steps taken to conserve the rare animals that are found nowhere else in the world. The bodies of the two majestic animals were discovered 'in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers' in Garissa which is located in eastern Kenya, the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy revealed in a statement.
The deaths of the two giraffes leave only one white giraffe alive. It is a male, borne by the same slaughtered female, the conservancy added. The manager of the conservancy, Mohammed Ahmednoor, shared: "We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe."
"It's killing is a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species, and a wakeup call for continued support to conservation efforts," Ahmednoor added.
The white giraffe had sparked a lot of interest in 2017 when she was first spotted on the conservancy and then again when she had birthed two calves, last year.
The giraffe's alabaster color is not caused by albinism but is a condition called leucism that means that they continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, giving them dark eyes. According to Ahmednoor, the deaths of the giraffes was a 'sad day' and is a major loss for researchers and tourism providers working there.
Many Twitter users took to social media to express their disappointment at the loss of the giraffes. One such user shared, "Damn this really angers me! Why!?? Why!?? Why!?? Damn poachers! Shoot the poachers! This is awful, terrible. poor giraffes, they just want to live their lives but they can't because of hateful savage humans who think of nothing but money."
Another user added, "We are virus for this planet," while a third chimed in, "Ruthless and shameful act."