Kenya: three rare giraffes electrocuted by electric poles … too low

It is an accident that could undoubtedly have been avoided. Three Rothschild giraffes have died from electrocution in Kenya due to utility poles too low to pass the animals, the BBC reports Tuesday (February 22). This species of giraffe is one of the most endangered today: less than 1,600 specimens are listed in the world, including 600 in Kenya.

The news prompted a reaction, among others, by Paula Kahumbu, a Kenyan wildlife activist, who tweeted that “these power lines have killed giraffes, vultures and flamingos. Expert advice has been ignored. Risk assessments are notoriously poor in many development projects. Sad that it takes this kind of death to wake some people up! ”

Change the posts

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the state agency responsible for nature conservation, said investigators were dispatched to the scene and found the height of the posts to be insufficient for these giraffes to pass underneath. without issue. The energy company Kenya Power has confirmed that the poles will be replaced by higher ones to prevent this kind of accident in the future. “We regret this incident because we recognize that wildlife is an integral part of our natural and cultural psyche,” said Kenya Power CEO Bernard Ngugi.

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