In Summary
Kenya's wildlife minister on Tuesday apologised for telling his
critics to "go to hell" as he comes under mounting pressure over the
death of 10 rhinos during a botched transfer.
Tourism
and Wildlife Minister Najib Balala had directed the comments to those
calling for his resignation over the fiasco during a press conference on
Monday.
"People need explanations about the rhinos... people are angry. I am also angry," Balala told lawmakers Tuesday.
"I have emotions and I reacted. I feel let down by my system that did not act quickly to stop the death of the rhinos."
Kenyans
have been left stunned after 10 of 11 rhinos being transferred from
Nairobi and Lake Nakuru national parks to Tsavo East died after the
operation.
The 11th was attacked by lions, and is recovering.
Balala
has blamed Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) officials involved in the
transfer for "negligence", suspending six senior officials.
An
initial enquiry indicated that the rhinos may have become dehydrated
and died after drinking saline water in their new habitat.
The
scandal intensified when the former chairman of the KWS board, the
world-renowned anthropologist Richard Leakey, released a statement
revealing that the board had on three prior occasions blocked the
transfer.
He
said this was due to "a deep concern about the lack of vegetation in
the sanctuary that could sustain rhino, and also, the real issue of
available and safe water."
He also indicated that no
new KWS board had been set up in the three months since the one he
chaired expired, leaving the decision to carry out the translocation
entirely up to Balala's ministry.
Horns
As
furious Kenyans on social media demanded to see the horns of the dead
rhinos, KWS displayed the 20 horns to the media last week to allay
suspicions.
In yet another blow to the country's rhino
population, the KWS said that a 12-year-old male had been killed by
poachers for its horn in Nakuru National Park on Monday night.
Save
the Rhinos estimates there are fewer than 5,500 black rhinos in the
world, all of them in Africa, while Kenya's black rhino population
stands at 750, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
Rhinos
have few natural predators because of their size and thick skin but are
targeted by poachers for their horns which are highly valued in parts
of Asia where they are believed to have medicinal qualities.
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