Last White Rhino Requires 24-Hour Protection

YOUR NEWS COMPANION

APRIL 16 2015 6:11 PM

Last Known Male Northern White Rhino Requires 24-Hour Protection

By Beth Ethier

Sudan, pictured here in 2010, is the last known male northern white rhino in the world.

Noor Khamis / Reuters

A northern white rhinoceros named Sudan is now being accompanied around-the-clock by armed guards as he roams the Ol Pejeta wildlife refuge in Kenya, because he’s the last known male of a threatened subspecies. Poachers in search of rhino horns are believed to have killed all but five of the animals.

CNN reports that biologists are concerned that Sudan, at what the network described as an elderly age of 42, will grow too old for mating. They are working on artificial insemination and other advanced treatments that could improve the chances of impregnating Fatu and Najin, the females living with him at the refuge.

[Sudan] has a low sperm count, which complicates natural and scientific efforts, experts say.

Najin could conceive, but her hind legs are so weak, she may be unable to support a mounted male.

"There has been recorded mating between different pairs over the last few years, but not conceptions," [biologist George] Paul says. "Based on a recent health examination conducted, both animals have a regular estrus cycle, but no conception has been recorded."

The men guarding the three rhinos carry heavy weaponry and sometimes visit nearby towns "incognito" to gather intelligence on poaching activities, according to CNN. The refuge has started a GoFundMe campaign to support and equip the guards, whoput their lives at risk defending the animals. The rhinos at Ol Pejeta have had their horns removed to make them less attractive to poachers.

Keep our #rhino #rangers safe- the men who safeguard our rhinos need your help.http://t.co/50hxQENE9d #RT #OlPejeta pic.twitter.com/nHLtJFgRR2

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) February 9, 2015

Even with a very small number remaining, there is still hope that the northern white rhino could survive. A closely related subspecies, the southern white rhino, is considered near-endangered, but its population has been rekindled from an estimated 100 in the 1800s to around 20,000 today, according to the World Wildlife Fund, thanks in part to aggressive conservation and breeding efforts. It's possible Sudan's keepers could take a cue from a British zoo, where two southern white rhinos were recently given "animal Viagra" to boost their chances of conception.

World's Last Male Northern White Rhino Placed Under 24-Hour Armed Guard In Kenya

The Huffington Post  |  By Dominique Mosbergen

Posted: 14/04/2015 12:57 IST Updated: 15/04/2015 02:29 IST

After the decimation of his species by poachers, Sudan the rhino finds himself in an extremely precarious position: He is the last male northern white rhinoceros on the planet.

According to The Independent, the 40-year-old animal has been put under 24-hour armed guard in the Kenya game conservancy where he lives. There is hope that Sudan will one day be able to produce progeny -- and possibly save his kind from extinction.

Sudan and two female rhinos of his subspecies are cared for by rangers at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The trio are reportedly three of the last five remaining northern white rhinos in the world. Two other females live in captivity.

To protect him from poachers, Sudan has been fitted with radio transmitters, reports The Independent.

The rhino’s horn has also been removed as an added precaution.

"The only reason his horn has been cut off is to deter poachers," Elodie Sampere of the conservancy told The Dodo. "If the rhino has no horn, he is of no interest to poachers. This is purely to keep him safe."