Almost wiped out forever by poachers because of their highly profitable black market horn. It is the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni Lydekker 1908), one of the two subspecies of white rhino, now extinct in the wild, except for Sudan, a rhino of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, 200 kilometers north of Nairobi. He is the last male present in nature in the whole world
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Quasi wiped out forever by poachers because of their highly profitable horn on the black market. It is the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni Lydekker 1908), one of the two subspecies of white rhino, now extinct in the wild, except for Sudan, a rhinoceros from Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, 200 kilometers north of Nairobi. And he the last male found in nature in the world.
For how long? The problem is that the horn of Sudan it could be worth over $ 75 per kg. This is why armed poachers have exterminated this species in recent decades. Poaching, in fact, is a $ 17 billion a year business, fueled by demand for ivory in Asia, where rhino horn is believed to have absolutely unproven medicinal properties.
Fortunately, Sudan is not alone. For him there is a team at Rangers which monitors the 90.000 hectares of conservation area and collaborates with local law enforcement. Their tools include GPS trackers, surveillance aircraft, and dogs trained to detect humans and security breaches.
So what's the solution? Right now, scientists are considering artificial insemination in a desperate attempt save the species.
Roberta Ragni
Photo credits: Dai Kurokawa/European Press Agency
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