Poaching has been and continues to be one of the biggest problems facing wildlife in Kenya. Looking at statistics, it’s disturbing to imagine that there could be a generation that will live to not see species such as rhinos and elephants that are at risk of becoming extinct under our watch.
Yesterday night, three black rhinos; two adults and a calf were found dead at the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has now opened investigations into mysterious deaths of three black rhinos at the Mara Triangle.
Although the cause of their death is still unknown, some KWS officials believe that the rhino might have consumed a poisonous plant while others say that the animals died of natural causes. Isn’t it strange that three rhinos would die naturally all at the same time?
Another official at the KWS who requested anonymity however ruled out the possibility of poaching.
Preliminary investigations show that the rhinos belonged to the same family. According to the Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya one of the rhinos was 57-years-old while the mother of the calf is believed to be between 15 and 20 years old.
Mr Natembeya said KWS Narok Senior Warden Dickson Ritan is leading a team of investigators and a comprehensive report would be issued after the lab report is released.
“We have taken samples from their bodies to the KWS laboratories in Nairobi to establish the cause of their deaths,” he said.
Black rhinos have recognized as endangered species as they are under threat from poachers. Reports show that no rhino death has been reported in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in the last two years with the last one being in 2016 when a black rhino was found dead with its horns missing near the Kenya-Tanzania.
Just so that you understand the magnitude of poaching, in 1971, Maasai Mara park had 120 black rhinos. However, according to the Mara Conservancy, the park now has only 49 black rhinos remaining.
In January 2016, the US government signed a memorandum of understanding on national conservation and management between the US Department of Interior and USAID, and Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, to help improve surveillance technology, train wildlife rangers and share information as the best tools to counter poaching.