 White rhino numbers have dwindled to less than 200 in Kenya |
The four soldiers were confronted by the adult male after they got lost at night on an exercise in the bush.
The shooting happened on Friday evening in Laikipia, north of the capital Nairobi. The area is popular for wildlife viewing.
White rhinos are killed by poachers who want their horns for use in traditional Chinese medicine or as ornaments.
Laikipia conservancy senior game warden Dickson Too said the soldiers had been "forced to shoot at it".
"We don't consider it a deliberate act of killing, they were just acting in self-defence," he said.
Mr Too added the rhino had been found the following day and the Kenya Wildlife Service had removed its horn.
Kenya Wildlife Service spokeswoman Connie Maina said British troops had a base near Laikipia and regularly underwent training in the area.
