Rare white giraffe in Kenya fitted with GPS tracker to combat poachers

A rare white giraffe became even rarer this year. So now, a conservation group is determined to keep an eye on him.

A rare white giraffe thought to be the only one left in the world has been fitted with a GPS collar to protect it from poachers, who killed the giraffe’s calf and the calf’s mother earlier this year.

The Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy (IHCC) attached the tracker to one of the giraffe’s horns earlier this month with the assistance of the Kenya Wildlife Society.

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The giraffe has been fitted with a tracker to help protect it from poachers. Picture: Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy

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The tracker provides hourly updates on its whereabouts, helping rangers keep him safe from poachers.

IHCC manager Mohammed Ahmednoor said the future was bright for the giraffe.

“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 said, according to BBC.

The white giraffes were first spotted in Kenya in 2016 and were caught on camera a year later.

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A female and calf were killed earlier this year.

Their colour is thought to be due to leucism, a condition similar to albinism that affects the skin and soft tissue but not the eyes.

In March, it was announced two white giraffes – a female and her calf – had been killed, and only the bull remained.

SAD NEWS😢: @IshaqbiniHirola Community Conservancy, Garissa County loses two famous white giraffes to poachers.

For more info, here’s the press release. @KWS @USAIDKenya @EUinKenya @denmarkinkenya @Nature_Africa @KWCAKenya @africa_ci @SwedeninKE pic.twitter.com/Nwp1F0VexF

— @nrt_kenya (@NRT_Kenya) March 10, 2020