A white giraffe in Kenya has been fitted with a GPS tracker to protect the animal against poachers.
The rare leucistic giraffe – a condition in which the skin cells have no pigmentation – is the last remaining white giraffe in the world.
In March 2020, a white female giraffe and her calf were poached.
The giraffe can now be monitored around the clock.
Following the collar fitting, anti-poaching rangers are now able to keep track of the male’s movements and receive hourly updates on his location.
Collaring of the only White Giraffe in Kenya at Ishaqbini-Hirola Community Conservancy in Garisa County.@STL_tracking #GiraffeTag@NRT_Kenya pic.twitter.com/wGEk8Ap3Dx
— Savannah Tracking Ltd (@STL_tracking) November 9, 2020
Mohammed Ahmed Noor, manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy which coordinated the process, thanked the organisations who helped make this crucial measure possible.
This includes the Kenya Wildlife Service, Save Giraffes Now and the Northern Rangelands Trust.
‘The giraffe’s grazing range has been blessed with good rains in the recent past and the abundant vegetation bodes well for the future of the white male,’ he added in a statement.
‘I am happy to be part of this collaring exercise that will ensure real time monitoring in time and space as part of National Giraffe Strategy implementation,’ said Geoffrey Bundotich, KWS Senior Scientist Eastern Conservation Area.
Picture: Twitter/FACTUBE2
