#rhino -

World’s last male northern white rhino dies

The world’s last male northern white rhino has died, the Kenyan conservancy taking care of it said, leaving only two females of its subspecies alive in the world, although scientists still hope to save it from extinction by in vitro fertilization. Ol Pejeta Conservancy said it had made the decision with wildlife officials to put down the 45-year-old rhino, named Sudan on Monday, because of a rapid deterioration in his condition. Sudan was being treated for age-related complications that had affected his muscles and bones and also gave him extensive skin wounds. Sudan had previously lived at the Dver Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic before being transported to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, about 250 km (155 miles) north of Nairobi, where he lived with the last two females of the same species, his 27-year-old daughter Najin and 17-year-old granddaughter Fatu. The two female rhinos were quietly grazing at the conservancy on Tuesday, where staff mourned Sudan. “It’s very sad to lose Sudan because it shows clearly the extent of human greed and what sort of impact humans beings can have on nature,” Samuel Mutisya, head of wildlife conservation at Ol Pejeta, told Reuters. “If we don’t take care of what we have, we will definitely continue to lose it, particularly lose other species that are currently endangered.” Veterinarian Dr Stephen Ngulu said doctors recommended putting the aging rhino down because he was in severe pain, with no hope of treatment to alleviate it. “Sunday morning, he completely was unable to wake up. His left hind foot gave in completely, he was unable to support himself on it and he was not able to raise,” he said. “We decided to evaluate the quality of life and advise stakeholders that this available option would be the better option: to alleviate pain, suffering.” The rhino had spent two weeks in late February and early March lying in his pen due to discomfort from a deep wound on his right hind leg, the conservancy said. “The veterinary team from the Dvur Kralove Zoo, Ol Pejeta and Kenya Wildlife Service made the decision to euthanize him.” After all attempts at getting Sudan to mate naturally failed, conservationists last year put him on dating app Tinder, hoping to raise enough money to pay for a $9 million fertility treatment. Ol Pejeta said that staff had collected Sudan’s genetic material on Monday, which could be used in future to attempt reproduction of northern white rhinos. It said scientists were also seeking ways to perform in vitro fertilization. “The only hope for the preservation of this subspecies now lies in developing in vitro fertilization techniques using eggs from the two remaining females, stored northern white rhino semen from males and surrogate southern white rhino females,” it said. While there are thousand of southern white rhinos still roaming the plains of sub-Saharan Africa, decades of rampant poaching have drastically cut numbers of northern whites. Poachers were able to sell northern white rhino horns for $50,000 per kilo, making them more valuable than gold. Kenya had 20,000 rhinos in the 1970s, falling to 400 in the 1990s. It now has 650, almost all of which are black rhinos. “It’s very sad to lose Sudan because it shows clearly the extent of human greed and what sort of impact humans beings can have on nature…” A scary insight into the detrimental effects humankind can have on the planet. Let’s do our best to protect the wildlife we have left! Come visit the Emdoneni Cat Project, where you can learn about South Africa’s endangered wild cat species.

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Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: Game for something different

Need a break from the Kruger? go! suggests the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal for a totally different game-viewing experience. You might even see the elusive black rhino… Hluhluwe and Imfolozi were proclaimed in 1895, and since 1989 they have been managed as one park. Their history goes back even further. Before 1895, this was the hunting territory of Dingiswayo and Shaka. Hunting was limited to royals and was only permitted in winter. The two reserves are quite different. Hluhluwe has densely grown, green hills and is said to be the best place to see elephants. Imfolozi is flat and open. You’ll see plains game like impala, kudu, blue wildebeest and zebra. And predators like wild dog and lion, if you’re lucky. Rhinos and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi are synonymous. After all, this is where the massively successful Operation Rhino kicked off in the 1960s, with the aim of saving the white rhino from extinction. Black rhino, however, are seldom seen. They’re shy creatures and there are lots of places to hide. You have to have an eye for detail to distinguish a black rhino from a white rhino. Don’t be fooled by the names; both species are the same shade of grey. The most obvious difference is that a black rhino has a pointed upper lip and a white rhino has a wide, square upper lip. The name “white” rhino is apparently a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word for wide – “wyd” – in reference to the lip. A black rhino also has a concave back, whereas a white rhino has a flattish back. And although white rhinos are bigger, black rhinos are more aggressive. At the reception at Hilltop Camp there’s a map of the reserve where visitors can indicate their sightings. Set out early, because it’s a bit of a drive to the Imfolozi game-viewing routes: about 50km of tar road to Mpila Camp (the main camp in Imfolozi) and then another 12km to the lookout over the Black Mfolozi. The last remaining lion in the reserve was shot in the early 1900s. Then, in 1958, game rangers were astounded to see a huge male. He was believed to have walked south from Mozambique, dodging hunters out to bag “the last lion in Zululand”. Safe and sound in the reserve, he spent a few lonely years checking out his new territory until a few lionesses magically appeared – apparently smuggled in by conservation-minded staff. The rest, as they say, is history. Certain prides in Imfolozi have developed an unusual habit – the lions climb trees. Reserve ecologists aren’t entirely sure why they do this. The most plausible theory is that the extra elevation allows them to cool down more easily. They might even do it for fun. Maybe they’re hiding from the black rhinos? Rhino poaching has escalated dramatically in the past few years and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi’s population has been targeted too. Rhinos have been killed, despite the best efforts of the reserve authorities to curb the scourge. To spend time with a rhino in the wild – white or black – is yet another reminder of how fragile our natural heritage is, and how important it is to preserve it. Source: network24