The last ever male northern white rhino has died meaning his species will soon be extinct.
Sudan, a northern white rhinoceros, has been put down after his carers said the future did not look bright following him becoming gravely ill.
The 45-year-old was one of just three remaining northern white rhinos. He was the last male of his species.
He was euthanised by vets after falling ill and being unable to stand. It is being put down to age-related complications.
Back in 1960 there were more than 2,000 of his kind in the world but poaching drove the species to the brink of extinction meaning by 1984 there were just 15 left.
Protected by armed guards, John Mugo and Daniel Maina, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya, Sudan lived with the last two surviving females, Najin and Fatu, but attempts to mate him with them failed.
Both females sadly suffer from conditions which make them incapable of pregnancy.
After the organisation discovered this, last year, they created an account for Sudan on the dating app Tinder, with aims to help fund the development of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for rhinos.
As reported by National Geographic, his bio read:
I’m one of a kind. No seriously. I’m the last male white rhino on planet Earth. I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on me.
I perform well under pressure. I like to eat grass and chill in the mud. No problems. Six foot tall and 5,000 pounds if it matters.
You can watch a video about him below:
The clever and cute move won Sudan thousands of fans across the world, who were devastated last week when they heard about his condition.
Tweeting updates on their page, the reserve confirmed Sudan – who’s 90-years-old in human years – had been suffering from infected bedsores as his mobility decreased.
They wrote:
His health has begun deteriorating and his future is not looking bright. At the end of 2017, Sudan developed an uncomfortable age related infection on his back right leg.
Recently, a secondary and much deeper infection was discovered beneath the initial one. This has been treated, but worryingly, the infection is taking longer to recover, despite the best efforts of his team of vets who are giving him 24 hour care.
Everything possible is being done to help him regain his health. We are very concerned about him – he’s extremely old for a rhino and we do not want him to suffer unnecessarily.
However conservationists hope this isn’t the end for the northern white rhino.
There’s still the possibility progression with IVF is made, meaning one day, scientists may be able to use Sudan’s unique sperm to impregnate a female rhino.
This can either be Najin or Fatu or even a surrogate southern white rhino – a much more common species.
The process of IVF involves implanting an embryo, which is the result of Sudan’s sperm and a fertilised northern white rhino egg.
It really is heartbreaking news but at least there’s still hope for the species.
RIP Sudan.
