Kenya's wildlife conservationists on Monday announced the death of two southern male white rhinos after an attack by poachers at a sanctuary in the northern part of Kenya.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy said that poachers infiltrated the highly secured and privately-owned wildlife sanctuary last Friday and killed the two southern white male rhinos and run away with their horns before police swung into action.

"After six years of successfully keeping all rhinos on the conservancy safe and recording high birth rates, the entire Lewa team is devastated by this recent loss," said Tuqa Jirmo, Lewa's chief operations officer in a statement.

"Since the incident, we have been working tirelessly with the Kenya Police and Kenya Wildlife Service to follow up on the incident and apprehend the criminals," he added.

The wildlife sanctuary that was established in 1995 and has served as an innovative model for conserving iconic species, is home to a significant population of both the white and black rhino population in Kenya. It leverages on community engagement to promote conservation of iconic land mammals like elephants and rhinos amid threats linked to poaching and shrinking habitat.

Jirmo said the latest killing of two southern white male rhinos was a wakeup call for authorities and conservationists to revitalize action on poaching.

"This incident serves as a reminder that the threat from poaching is ever-present, and all sanctuaries holding rhinos cannot afford to be complacent," said Jirmo, "The poaching scourge and illegal rhino horn trade continue to put the survival of rhinos at risk across the continent."

Kenya's overall rhino population stood at 1,258 at the end of 2017 but their numbers have spiked against a backdrop of enhanced protection to ward of poachers.