The 16-month old rhino orphan taken in by the Ol Pejeta Conservancy at the beginning of this month has died. The calf was rescued after its mother was killed by poachers on the adjacent Ol Jogi ranch.

The baby rhino succumbed to gunshots wounds on its lower jaw yesterday despite being under a 24-hour surveillance. The Kenya Wildlife Service is still searching for the poachers.

The conservation community is concerned with the rise in poaching across the country fuelled by the increased in demand of wildlife products in China and the Far East.