Last of 11 relocated Kenyan rhinos dies

The last of the 11 black rhinos translocated to a newly established sanctuary at the Tsavo National Park has died. It is believed to have died from injuries after it was attacked by a lion about a fortnight ago. According to a report in The Nation, the other 10 rhinos died in quick succession just days after being moved because of what investigations revealed was the intake of salty water and starvation. Under normal circumstances, an adult rhino should be able to defend itself from a lion, but in this case the rhino was already weak after drinking salty water. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Communications boss Paul Udoto said the rhino was found dead last week, and that it was hard to tell exactly when it died. A report released by Wildlife and Tourism Minister Najib Balala concluded that the rhinos were neglected at the sanctuary. He suspended six KWS officers he said were responsible for taking care of them. He also demoted director-general Julius Kimani and replaced him with Dr Charles Musyoki, who was the principal of the KWS Training Institute, in an acting capacity with immediate effect. He said KWS had failed to assess the water quality before moving the animals.