Poachers kill world's only female white giraffe and calf

The only female white giraffe in the world and her calf have been killed by poachers in northeastern Kenya.

Rangers have confirmed they found the carcasses in a village in Garissa County.

A third white giraffe - a lone male borne by the same slaughtered female - is believed to be the only remaining one in the world.

"This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole," said Mohammed Ahmednoor, manager of the reserve.

"We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffes."

The killing has been described as "a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species" as well as "a wake-up call for continued support to conservation efforts".

"This is a long-term loss given that genetics studies and research which were significant investment into the area by researchers, has now gone to the drain," Mr Ahmednoor added.

"Further to this the white giraffe was a big boost to tourism in the area."

Their white appearance is due to a rare condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation.