World’s remaining male northern white rhino dies
In vitro fertilization now only hope for subspecies
NAIROBI, Kenya — The death of the world’s last male northern white rhino, Sudan, doesn’t end efforts to save a subspecies of one of the world’s most recognizable animals. The focus now turns to his stored semen and that of four other dead rhinos, as well as the perfection of in vitro fertilization techniques and the critical need to keep the remaining two females alive.
The 45-year-old Sudan, who won widespread affection last year with his listing as “The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World” on the Tinder dating app in a fundraising effort, was euthanized Monday after “age-related complications,” researchers said Tuesday.
The rhino “stole the heart of many with his dignity and strength,” said the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where Sudan lived. It said his condition had “worsened significantly,” to the point where he was no longer able to stand.
Sudan had been central to the ambitious effort to save the subspecies from extinction after decades of decimation by poachers, along with the two surviving females.
One is his 27-year-old offspring, Najin, and the other is her 17-year-old offspring, Fatu.
It is now just a matter of months before eggs are extracted from the two females, said Jan Stejskal, director of international projects at Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic, where Sudan lived before coming to Kenya.
Scientists have developed a technique to extract the eggs, using females from the similar southern white rhino subspecies from European zoos, Stejskal said.