Two southern white male rhinos have been killed at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Meru.
According to a statement by the conservancy on Monday, poachers on Friday evening infiltrated Lewa's boundaries and killed two southern white male rhinos.
They took one horn from each animal before rangers got to the scene.
Lewa chief operations officer Tuqa Jirmo said: “After six years of successfully keeping all rhinos on the conservancy safe and recording high birth rates, the entire Lewa team is devastated by this recent loss."
The conservancy has collaborated with the police and KWS to hunt for the culprits.
Jirmo said the incident serves as a reminder that the threat from poaching is ever-present, and all sanctuaries holding rhinos cannot afford to be complacent.
The poaching scourge and illegal rhino horn trade continue to put the survival of rhinos at risk across the continent.
"During this time, the entire Lewa team continues to demonstrate steadfast commitment to Lewa's wildlife, as we have for decades, to ensure the future of one of the world's most threatened species," the statement said.
The Lewa conservancy that spans 61,000 acres holds 13 per cent of Kenya’s black rhino population and 12 per cent of the world’s Grevy’s zebras
