After Last Male’s Death, Is the Northern White Rhino Doomed?

 

National Geographic website has very interesting articles and found a very recent one about the death of the last male from the Northern White Rhino species. 

The name of the last white rhino was Sudan and was 45 years old and lived in Kenya.  As per BBC.com,  “He was put to sleep on Monday after age-related complications worsened significantly”.

Amy Vitale, National Geographic photographer, was with Sudan when he was transferred from Czech Republic to a Kenya Reserve in 2009 hoping that African climate would stimulate the rhinos to breed.

To avoid the extinction of the northern white rhino species, scientists collected sex cells harvested from the white rhinos and are planning to perform an in vitro fertilization and impregnate southern white rhino surrogates. It is estimated that this technology might be perfected in 10 years.

Presently, the last two Northern White Rhino species are under permanent armed guard to protect them from poaching threat. (2 images, 2 links, 1 quotation, 173 words)