NAIROBI, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will investigate the increased deaths of wild animals, in particular giraffes, in the northern part of the country, Najib Balala, the tourism cabinet secretary said on Tuesday.

A veterinary team from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) will start the probe immediately. "The Meru Mobile Vet will investigate the high giraffe mortalities in Wajir. They will work with local vets to locate the giraffes and conduct medical examinations," Najib Balala said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

The exercise, according to Balala, would help to identify the cause of deaths and ways to reduce the risk of deaths in other giraffes and wild animals.

Kenya has 28,850 giraffes in total, including 12,717 of the Maasai breed, 15,524 reticulated giraffes and the rest being Rothschild's giraffe. Several giraffes have died in Wajir in the recent past. Some were killed by poachers including the rare white ones.

According to African Wildlife Foundation, some 40 percent of the giraffe population across the world has disappeared in the last 30 years, a majority poached for meat and skin. Enditem

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