The loss of extremely rare white giraffes is yet another “wake-up call” for conservation efforts

On Tuesday the news broke that two white giraffes - who were reported missing over the weekend - had been killed by poachers in Kenya. 

The loss of these extraordinarily rare creatures is a devastating blow to conservation efforts in East Africa. It is thought that there is now only one white giraffe left in the world.

Mohammaed Ahmednoor, manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, called it a sad day for the local community and for Kenya as a whole.

“[the giraffes’] killing is a blow to the tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species and a wake-up call for continued support to conservation efforts”, he stated. 

The world was first introduced to the remarkable pair in 2017, after photos of them circulated online. The sighting came only a year after white giraffes were spotted in Kenya for the first time in March 2016. 

The giraffes’ white appearance is caused by a rare condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation. 

Over the last 30 years some 40% of the world’s giraffe population has disappeared, largely as the result of poaching for the animal’s meat and skin. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that there are only 97,000 of the creatures left, down from some 155,000 in 1985. 

The unnecessary killing of any animal is a tragedy and the death of such a rare and beautiful creature as the white giraffe serves as a timely reminder that more needs to be done to conserve and protect the natural world. 

At present only 11% of Kenya’s land is protected, leaving much of its unique wildlife at risk of poaching or habitat loss due to human settlement. 

Scientists report that the current goal of conserving just 17% of each country’s terrestrial area simply isn’t adequate to combat climate change or preserve the world’s must vulnerable species, in order to halt the loss of biodiversity we need to be protected at least 30% of land and sea, and some scientists put it has high as 50%.

The Wyss Campaign for Nature - an international conservation project launched in partnership with the National Geographic Society - has called on African governments to take a leadership role in the fight to protect our ecosystems and wildlife by committing to the global goal of protecting at least 30% of terrestrial and marine habitats by 2030. 

A growing number of countries have answered that call; Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, Cameroon, Botswana, Ethiopia, Mozambique and the Seychelles to name a few, have all pledged to support the adoption of a 30% goal during this years’ conference of parties to the convention on biological diversity. Kenya must not be left behind, we have a duty to join our African neighbours in ambitious and robust environmental policy.

It is vital that we, and other countries that are home to such incredible species, pledge to protect their natural wonders before they are lost forever. 

Photo: Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy