Last week we carried a story about poaching in which we mentioned how there are only three Northern White Rhino were left alive in the world. They were two females and one male. The species were on the verge of total extinction because the male was ill and doctors were afraid he may die. Their worst fears alighted when last Tuesday; he had indeed succumbed to his illness. The last northern white rhino has died.
The 45-year-old male named Sudan was living in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. He was the only living male of the Rhino subspecies being the Northern White Rhino and was the only hope to impregnate the two females in a bid for the species survival.
Sudan was 45 years old and was the last male northern white rhino of his kind. He had been ill and suffering from multiple infections. At the time a spokeswoman for the Ol Peteja conservancy Elodie Sampere feared that he wouldn’t last. Those fears were confirmed last Tuesday. Pictured below is ranger Zachariah Mutai who was with Sudan in his final moments.
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Sudan was euthanized by a team of veterinarians because his condition was beyond help reported the conservation group WildAid. Last year Sudan developed an infection on his hind leg and it just got worse because of his age. This year, a second infection developed beneath the first one which made him deteriorate further. There was nothing vets could do for him except put him out of his misery.
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As was reported on this website that poaching is such an evil in Africa that conservationists feared night and day for Sudan. Throughout his illness and even up to his death, he was guarded night and day by armed guards to prevent [poachers getting to him.
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Sudan was the one hope for ensuring the survival of the beautiful Northern African white Rhino species which will soon be extinct once the two females succumb to old age. Poaching is so rampant on the Rhino population that guards also have to fit radio transmitters on the rhinos where rangers have to even spy on communities to collect information.
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Sudan was a gentle giant according to Sampere. "He was a gentle giant, his personality was just amazing and given his size, a lot of people were afraid of him. But there was nothing mean about him,” As you can see this is a file photo of Sudan whose horn was intentionally sawed off which is one of the things guards do to deter poachers.
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Researchers at the Ol Peteja Conservancy have managed to acquire genetic material from Sudan which they hope can be used to artificially inseminate the female Rhinos who are named Najin and Fatu.
Said WildAid CEO Peter Knight “We can only hope that the world learns from the sad loss of Sudan and takes every measure to end all trade in rhino horn. While prices of rhino horn are falling in China and Vietnam, poaching for horn still threatens all rhino species."
Rhino’s in Africa and Asia are widely poached for their horns that are believed to be an aphrodisiac and also have healing properties. It is even more expensive than drugs. This is why conservations are fighting a daily battle that sometimes results in gunfights against poachers.
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Sudan was the only Northern White male left. Along with Najin and Fatu, he was a group of six but unfortunately all died leaving only these three as the last African Northern White Rhinos in the world. Tinder made Sudan the most eligible bachelor in the world on its dating site in a bid to save the species. In his last years, he was also unable to mount or impregnate the females which means the future of the species is more than grim and may soon be extinct.
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According to the conservancy, the only hope is the IVF fertilization of the female rhinos using the eggs of the only two remaining females Najin and Fatu. As they too are old, the process may involve using Southern white rhino females as surrogates. Below is another photograph of Sudan who was used to his guards around him.
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The Western Black Rhino was driven to extinction seven years ago and now it’s the turn of the Northern White Rhino that the world may never see again.
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