Thinking of Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros

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The illustration looks back to this day in 2009 – when Sudan and three other white rhinos arrived at their new home in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya.

Before the rhinos were moved, the species had been declared extinct in the wild.

In 1976, Sudan was moved to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in what was then Czechoslovakia in hopes of saving the subspecies. He fathered two children and a grandchild, all of whom were part of the group that moved to their natural habitat in Kenya.

Sudan lived alone in a 10-hectare enclosure, with 24-hour guards.

Sudan died in 2018 at the age of 45, leaving only two of its kind, its daughters, in the wild.

Scientists told CNN at the time of his death that some of Sudan’s genetic material had been rescued, and they hoped to use in vitro fertilization to bring back the subspecies.

“Sudan is at least an ambassador for so many other species that need our attention,” National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale told CNN at the time.

“This can be an incredible wake-up call. Even if you live 10,000 miles away, you can make a difference with your consciousness or with tourist dollars.

‘Not everything is lost. Even if we don’t save the northern white rhino, we can save the other endangered rhinos and a host of lesser-known species, which are declining everywhere. ‘

Kyle Almond contributed to this report.

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