Delivery Problem Closes KFC Stores across UK

Pedestrians pass outside a closed KFC fast food store in south London on February 19, 2018. (AFP)
Pedestrians pass outside a closed KFC fast food store in south London on February 19, 2018. (AFP)
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Delivery Problem Closes KFC Stores across UK

Pedestrians pass outside a closed KFC fast food store in south London on February 19, 2018. (AFP)
Pedestrians pass outside a closed KFC fast food store in south London on February 19, 2018. (AFP)

KFC has finally revealed the real reason behind its closure of several of its restaurants across the UK. Delivery problems led to the closure of 900 branches across the country after they ran out of chicken and chips, leaving fried chicken lovers fuming.

Fast food restaurants in Devon, Bristol, Berkshire, Suffolk, Newcastle and Cheshire were all impacted.
The US based chain claimed there were “teething problems” with a new delivery company supplying them with chicken. Many customers saw the closure decision as “the end of the world”.

The company, which has been operating since 1930, stated that "the provision of fresh chicken through the 900 restaurants scattered across the country is very complex."

"We will not waive the high quality standard, so we had to close some of our restaurants, while the others are working on a short menu or fewer hours," the company said in a statement.

This triggered rage among Britons with a hungry resident from the city of Bristol declaring it "the end of the world."

He wrote on Twitter: "How do KFC officials think about shutting down their Bristol branch because the chickens are running out?”

In Manchester, people queued up outside some branches, while others had to drive their cars for miles to get to others, where they were surprised by the closure.

In Plymouth, officials at a KFC restaurant were forced to close the door and hungry customers had to return disappointed, according to a Plymouth Herald report. Employees at the Milton Street restaurant in Nottingham hanged a banner to apologize for the closure, the Mirror said.

However, nothing managed to calm the anger of fast food lovers, and Twitter saw a flood of angry comments.

Natalie Paige, for example, wrote: "It would be great if the KFC officials announced that all branches were closed so that people do not drive their cars to different areas."

"Unfortunately, our doors are still closed this morning because of problems with delivery," said one of the restaurant workers. We are not sure when we will reopen our doors. Currently, we have no products, so we are unable to open right now. We regret that. "

"We are distributing fresh chicken to our restaurants, but we have some minor problems with the delivery system at the moment," said a spokesman for KFC. “We deeply apologize for any inconvenience we have caused, and we are working to bring all restaurants back to work as soon as possible!”



70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
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70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)

Rwanda said on Tuesday that 70 white rhinos had been successfully relocated to the Great Lakes nation after a two-day journey of some 3,000 kilometers (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa.

It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tons, Rwandan officials said.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching.

The animals were transported in two loads of 35 -- first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road -- from South Africa's Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or about 3,000 kilometers as the crow flies, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

A "dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behavior for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move", it said in a statement.

The move was part of African Parks' Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda.

According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa rose by four percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023.

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as "near threatened", with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with only two females left alive.