The Northern white rhinoceros is on the verge of extinction. To appreciate a dedicated effort to save this form of white rhinoceros, its taxonomic status had to be made clear.
The two forms of white rhinoceros; northern and southern, have had contrasting conservation histories. After the southern form recovered from a few individuals at the turn of the 20th century to a population of a few thousand, the Northern form, once fairly numerous is now critically endangered. Less than 20 specimens live in the Garamba National Park (in-situ) of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and an equal number can be found in just two zoos (ex-situ), Dvur Kralove Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
To save the Northern white rhino from going extinct, urgent and coordinated action must be taken. To determine the importance of the conservation effort, the taxonomic status of the Northern form is paramount. In other words, is it worth the effort to save the Northern White, because when there is not enough taxonomic difference they might as well be considered part of the same species as the Southern white rhino. So, making both of them a subspecies, which makes it less interesting to give specific attention to the Northern White.
Researchers from Australia, Sri Lanka and Czech Republic re-assessed the taxonomy, based on available information and using several techniques, modern genetics among others. They found the two forms of white rhino to be morphologically and genetically distinct, warranting the recognition of the taxa formerly designated as subspecies — Ceratotherium simum simum the southern form and Ceratotherium simum cottoni the northern form — as two distinct species Ceratotherium simum and Ceratotherium cottoni respectively. The recognition of the northern form as a distinct species has profound implications for its conservation. (Source: PloS-one, 07.04.2010)