Kenya Poachers Kill Four Rhinos in Worst Attack in Three Decades

Kenya Poachers Kill Four Rhinos in Worst Attack in Three Decades

Poachers killed four rhinos at a game reserve in central Kenya, the highest number of the animals slaughtered in a single attack in 26 years, the Kenya Wildlife Service said.

The assailants struck on July 9 at the closely held Ol Jogi Ranch, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi, spokesman Paul Muya said in an e-mailed statement today. The deaths bring the number of rhinos killed by poachers so far this year to 22 and reduce the number of the animals left in Kenya to 1,037, he said.

“There is a serious appetite for animal horns not just for the rhino, but the elephant as well from the Asian market,” Muya said “This should explain the escalation of poaching as witnessed in the recent past.”

Full story at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-14/kenya-poachers-kill-four-rhinos-in-worst-attack-in-three-decades.html

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Image: Archive image of rhino killed by poaches in Nairobi National Park, Kenya (c) AP