Sudan, The Last Male Northern White Rhino On Earth Has Just Died And It's Made Us All Super Depressed

by Damjan

22 Mar 2018

Sudan was supposed to be one of the last chances to save the northern white rhino, and instead his death has become a grim milestone. The 45-year-old male died on March 19 at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he had spent the last decade of his life under constant watch.

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He had been moved there in hopes that living alongside two females might help pull the species back from the edge. Instead, his passing leaves only two northern white rhinos alive, and both are female.

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Now the race to keep the species from disappearing has become even more desperate. Read on.

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His name was Sudan because that is where he was born in the wild. At some point in his youth, Sudan was sent to live at the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, and he spent most of his life there until, in 2009, he was transferred to the Kenyan conservancy in the hopes that living in a more natural environment with two females would provide the perfect opportunity needed to save the species from extinction.

Sudan was never left alone. In fact, he was guarded 24/7 by armed guards! As the last male of his entire species, keeping him safe from poachers was of the utmost importance.

Sudan the northern white rhino at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic — Ol Pejeta Conservatory

They also removed his horn to further protect him from poachers.

Sudan northern white rhino in a zoo enclosure, later transferred to Kenya — Ol Pejeta Conservatory

Sadly, Sudan was not a young rhino, and in his advanced age, the attempts to have him reproduce with the females were never met with success.

Keepers and conservation staff prepare for northern white rhino rescue efforts in Kenya — Ol Pejeta Conservatory

This lack of success created panic, as his keepers were increasingly rushed by the ticking of time to save the species from certain extinction. As Sudan's health continued to deteriorate, the conservancy released a statement on December 5th:

Preparations have kicked off in Kenya and Europe for the long-anticipated procedure that is hoped to help save the northern white rhinos from the brink of extinction. With only three aging northern white rhino individuals left, this subspecies faces extinction if new representative offspring are not produced.

Experts plan northern white rhino conservation, with Sudan’s health declining — Ol Pejeta Conservatory

In fact, for the last two years, experts from Dvůr Králové Zoo, IZW Berlin, and Avantea Institute in Cremona, Italy, have all been working diligently on a dedicated plan to save northern white rhinos from extinction... even if Sudan were to die! How? Their goal is to use a southern white rhino surrogate to carry a northern white rhino embryo that was created through in vitro fertilization! For this very purpose, sperm from long-deceased northern white rhino males has been stored in Berlin, Germany, for quite some time. Naijn and Fatu, 28 and 17 years old, the northern white rhinos still living, will have their eggs harvested to be fertilized with the stored sperm in a lab!

Sudan’s loss hits like the koala’s grief after its companion dies.

Northern white rhino conservation program planning, involving Dvůr Králové Zoo experts — Imgur

The conservancy is both optimistic and realistic, stating in a written post:

The fate of the northern white rhino subspecies depends on this operation going smoothly.

This species-saving strategy has yet to be used on rhinos, so the future remains unclear. However, the dedication and determination humans are showing to undo this man-made curse of extinction is not only heartwarming but a sure sign that humanity is not worth losing hope on.

And yes, the dwindling numbers of rhinoceroses are absolutely a man-made curse.

At one time, millions of rhinoceroses roamed the Earth, but due to the misguided belief that their horns are valuable, only 30,000 remain on the planet among each of the five sub-species.

Conservation statement about northern white rhino survival, fate depending on operation — Express.uk

The keratin in rhino horns is believed by many in Asia to have completely unfounded medical benefits, from curing hangovers to curing cancer.

Northern white rhino conservation team coordinating in Kenya and Europe for treatment — thesouthafrican

Keratin, by the way, is the same substance as your human fingernails, and that little fun fact should help you understand just how ridiculous it is that mankind has driven multiple sub-species of rhinos to near extinction over their horns!

Memorial text reading, Rest in Peace, Sudan, honoring the last male rhino — Reader's Digest

Earlier this year, Sudan had an age-related infection in his leg, and although the treatments seemed to show early improvement, he took a turn for the worse. When he was no longer able to stand, the conservancy humanely put him down.