Lonely Photo of Last Living Male Northern White Rhino Shows 'What Extinction Looks Like'
Sudan leads a lonely life.
The 44-year-old is the last known living male northern white rhinoceros in the world. He and the two other known living females of his species live at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where they are protected from poachers by a 24-hour armed guard.
While this has been Sudan’s reality for several years, his plight is coming back into focus following a viral Tweet.
Want to know what extinction looks like? This is the last male Northern White Rhino. The Last. Nevermore pic.twitter.com/o4obIQUpaR
— Daniel Schneider (@BiologistDan) November 6, 2017
The Tweet from biologist Daniel Schneider asking humans to confront the realities of extinction has been retweeted more than 42,000 times.
Scientists are working hard to ensure that Sudan is not the last male of his kind. While there is always a chance Sudan could breed with one of the females, Fatu and Najin, naturally, he is an aging rhino with a declining sperm count, leading conservationists scrambling to figure out a possible IVF treatment to preserve the species.
To help the support this quest for an answer, Sudan started a Tinder account earlier this year in search of donations for Assisted Reproductive Techniques research instead of mates, reports The Telegraph.
To support Sudan, Fatu, Najin and those who protect them, visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy‘s website.
