Last male Northern White Rhino dies

TheOldSchool

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Sep 21, 2012
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last stop for sanity before reaching the south
Alas, another species about to be gone. 2 females remain.

Northern white rhino: Last male Sudan dies in Kenya

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Earth's sixth mass extinction event under way, scientists warn
 
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In the wee hours of this morning before even coming close to a computer, badger2 had visions of the rare white rhino but could not place it: Sudan? Nigeria? Thank you, Mr. Trump.
 
Last male white rhino dies...
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Northern white rhino: Last male Sudan dies in Kenya
20 Mar.`18 - The world's last surviving male northern white rhino has died after months of poor health, his carers say.
Sudan, who was 45, lived at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. He was put to sleep on Monday after age-related complications worsened significantly. His death leaves only two females - his daughter and granddaughter - of the subspecies alive in the world. Hope for preserving the northern white rhino now lies in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques. "His death is a cruel symbol of human disregard for nature and it saddened everyone who knew him," said Jan Stejskal, an official at Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic, where Sudan had lived until 2009. "But we should not give up," he added in quotes carried by AFP news agency. "We must take advantage of the unique situation in which cellular technologies are utilised for conservation of critically endangered species. It may sound unbelievable, but thanks to the newly developed techniques even Sudan could still have an offspring."

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Why is this kind of rhino so rare?

Rhinoceroses - of which there are five species - are the second-largest land mammal after elephants. The white rhinoceros consists of two sub-species: the southern white rhino and the much rarer and critically endangered northern white rhino. Sudan, who was the equivalent of 90 in human years, was the last surviving male of the rarer variety after the natural death of a second male in late 2014. The subspecies' population in Uganda, Central African Republic, Sudan and Chad was largely wiped out during the poaching crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Poaching was fuelled by demand for rhino horn for use in traditional Chinese medicine, and for dagger handles in Yemen. The last few dozen wild northern white rhinos in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been killed by the early 2000s. By 2008, the northern white rhino was considered extinct in the wild, according to WWF, the global environment campaign.

What did Sudan die from?

The elderly rhino was being treated for degenerative changes in his muscles and bones, combined with extensive skin wounds. Unable to stand up and suffering a great deal in his last 24 hours, Sudan was put down by veterinarians at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

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A sculpture of Sudan and his female relatives stands in New York​

Is there any prospect the subspecies could survive?

In 2009, the four remaining northern white rhinos, two males and two females, were transferred from the Czech zoo to Ol Pejeta in Kenya. The hope was that the new environment, reflecting their native habitat, would encourage breeding. However, there were no successful pregnancies and Sudan was retired from his role as a potential mate four years ago. Other attempts to conserve some of the northern white rhino genes by mating 27-year-old Najin and her 17-year-old daughter Fatu with a southern white male also failed.

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Oh, here I thought John McCain died in Kenya.. . Good thing I clicked on your thread to see what it was about.
 
Not to shed too many tears here based on report I heard this morning about "a significant amount" of the old boy's DNA "material" was "collected" before he was cocktailed to sleep. Hopefully, since he was giving his last full measure, they had some hot young missy rhino on hand to facilitate the material extraction.

No wonder he passed with a smile. I would to if I knew I'd be gettin' it on in the afterlife!
 
Not to shed too many tears here based on report I heard this morning about "a significant amount" of the old boy's DNA "material" was "collected" before he was cocktailed to sleep. Hopefully, since he was giving his last full measure, they had some hot young missy rhino on hand to facilitate the material extraction.

No wonder he passed with a smile. I would to if I knew I'd be gettin' it on in the afterlife!


Hopefully they manage their wildlife better if they come back.
 
I thought Michelle Obama was the last rhinoceros....oops, I just noticed "white" rhino so I guess that counts her/him/it out despite its resemblance to such an animal.
The black rhino’s took all the white rhino’s women. So even in the rhino world, you’re a loser victim.
That's really too bad. Prior though the white babe rhinos were comfortable knowing the white daddy rhinos would always be with them to help raise and nurture their children rather than out in the streets trying to build their cred by mastering stupid hand signs and whatnot.
 
White rhino embryos have no doubt already been implanted in black rhino females. Or some other species. An elephant can successfully gestate a rhino.
 
Preceded in death by the true unicorn. The ancient Greeks knew about this creature, and the Bible mentions it even as the God Haters mock this creature's existence.

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And the famous Arabic medieval traveller Ibn Fadlan even mentioned them in his writings:

Near this river (the Volga) is a vast wilderness wherein they say is an animal that is less than a camel and more like a bull in size. Its head is like the head of a camel, and its tail is like the tail of a bull, while its body is like the body of a mule, and its hooves are like the cloven hooves of a bull. In the center of its head, it has a thick round horn, which as it rises from the head of the animal gets to be thinner until it becomes like the point of a lance. The length of some of these horns is from three to five cubits (roughly 4.5-7.5 feet), and there are those that may attain to a greater or lesser length. The animal grazes on the leaves of trees, which are quite green. When it sees a horseman, it makes straight for him, and if he happens to have under him a fast horse, he is rendered safe from it with some effort. If it overtakes him, it removes him from the back of his horse with its horn, hurls him into the air, and then catches him with its horn. It continues in this manner until it kills him. It does not bother the horse in any form or manner. They seek out this animal in the forests in order to kill it. They do that by climbing the tall trees among which it is found, and with this object in mind, they assemble a number of archers with poisoned arrows. When it stands in their midst, they shoot at it until it is severely wounded and killed by them.

There are many other reports throughout history, different cultures, and different civilizations:

“In 1866 Vasily Radlov reported a legend among the Yakuts of Siberia of a ‘huge black bull’ killed by spear, who had ‘a single horn’ so large it required a sledge for transportation.”

“The Shiji (‘Historical Records’) of Sima Qian in the 2nd century mentions the capture of a ‘deer-like’ animal with one horn in 122 BC. The Chunqin, an encyclopedia of the 3rd century BC, states that a unicorn was captured in 481 BC, but without any description. Chinese representations of unicorns vary quite a lot, but an engraving on a bronze vessel of the Warring States Period, shows an animal very like the cave paintings supposed to be of Elasmotherium: head down for grazing, horn protruding horizontally from the forehead, neck and shoulders humped.”

Elasmotherium, The Origin Of Unicorn Legends, Survived Until At Least 50,000 Years Ago, Possibly Until Much More Recently - Science HeathenScience Heathen
 
Like somebody else said, it's a natural thing.

99% of all Species that have ever existed are extinct..

Extinction - Wikipedia

Yet at the same time this news about the Rhino is sad.....
 

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