Kenya says black rhino and sable antelope now at risk

Kenya's black rhinos, sable antelope and three other species are critically endangered, while nine more species including lions, elephants and cheetahs are endangered, the government said.

The East African nation conducted a three-month survey of its wildlife from May to July, the first time it has conducted such an exercise aimed at informing its conservation policies.

Human activities such as farming and construction of roads and railways have affected the distribution of animals in some areas, the government said.

"Livestock incursions, logging, charcoal burning, settlements and fires were observed in conservation areas," the government said in the report.

Some of Kenya's most vulnerable animals, including rhinos and elephants, are counted periodically but the recent census was the first time it counted animals systematically in all parts of the country.

The government defined as critically endangered those species that could go extinct without immediate measures being taken, while species on the endangered list may survive longer without intervention.