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For The First Time In 21 Years, A Rhino Has Not Been Killed In Kenya By Poachers

February 10, 2021

This is the first time in over 20 years that a rhino has not been killed in Kenya by poachers.

Kenya Wildlife Service announced that despite the conservation threats posed by the Covid-19 pandemic on the endangered species, no rhino was poached in 2020, a feat that was last achieved in the last two decades.

"For the first time in twenty-one years, KWS made headway in the fight against poaching! In-spite of the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we reported zero rhino poaching in 2020!" the organization wrote on Twitter.

The decrease is attributed to travel restrictions in 2020, but also close cooperation with the local communities, anti-poaching efforts, rangers, and conservation efforts.

According to KWS, enhanced monitoring of rhinos is part of what has reduced poaching incidences. Fitting of horn transmitters and microchips, KWS noted in a statement released last week, has helped in the monitoring of the species' movement.

KWS Director-General Brigadier (Rtd) John Waweru says poaching of rhinos has reduced by 90 percent in the past seven years.