March 11, 2020, 10:33 AM
A female white giraffe and her calf were found dead in Kenya on March 10, according to NTV Kenya.
Discovered only three years ago
The white giraffe was only discovered in 2017 and following which she gave birth to two more white giraffes.
The giraffes are white in colour not because they are albinos but due to a condition known as leucism, a loss in pigmentation.
They still produce a pigment called melanin that gives them dark eyes.
Photo by Marc Napo, Ishaqbini-Hirola Community Conservancy's Facebook
Likely dead for months
The white giraffes cannot be found anywhere else in the world and the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy are the only "custodians" of the white giraffes.
The two carcasses were found "in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers" in Garissa in eastern Kenya, according to a statement issued by the conservancy.
The remains were reportedly discovered months later, which some say show the negligence of those tasked with protecting and caring for the giraffes.
The white giraffes were last seen alive in November 2019.
There's one male white giraffe left in the world.
Top photos via Ishaqbini-Hirola Community Conservancy's Facebook and NTV Kenya video
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