The Last Male Northern White Rhino Has Died

There are now only two northern white rhinos in the world.

The northern white rhino may have reached the point of no return, as a zoo announced the last male rhino has died in Kenya at age 45.

The rhino, named Sudan, had to be euthanized March 19 after his health took a sudden turn for the worse. Sudan had lived in captivity for more than 38 years, spending the last few years of his life in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Sudan was being treated for age-related complications that led to degenerative changes in muscles and bones combined with extensive skin wounds. His condition worsened significantly in the last 24 hours; he was unable to stand up and was suffering a great deal.

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) March 20, 2018

The northern white rhino is so rare that Sudan, his daughter and granddaughter were actually under 24/7 protection by armed guards at Ol Pejeta to keep them safe from poachers.

While things look grim for the northern white rhino, this isn't necessarily the end of the species. Scientists have northern white rhino semen saved in cold storage around the world.

The only hope for the preservation of this subspecies now lies in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques using eggs from the two remaining females, stored northern white rhino semen from males and surrogate southern white rhino females.

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) March 20, 2018

Unfortunately, there are only two females left in the world, which are Sudan's daughter and granddaughter. So, bringing this species back from the brink will certainly be a challenge for scientists.

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