At the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya, lives Sudan, one of the last rhinos of his kind.
In fact, he’s the last male Northern white rhinoceros, a critically endangered species practically hunted to extinction by poachers. He’s one of only three left in the world, and when he dies, so will all hope of saving his species. Heartbreaking as it is, it can’t be denied that his time (and that of the two other rhinos) alive is spent waiting for extinction.
Born in 1973, Sudan was first caught in Shambe, South Sudan, then moved to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in Czech Republic. He was moved again to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009 with three other Northern white rhinoceroses, including his daughter, Najin, and granddaughter, Fatu, for a “Last Chance To Survive” breeding program.
Unfortunately, breeding efforts with Sudan have been unsuccessful at the conservancy. Making matters worse, the third rhino transported there with him died in 2014, leaving Sudan, Najin, and Fatu the last livingNorthern white rhinoceroses.
At the conservancy, the three are protected 24 hours a day from poaching with fences, watchtowers, drones, guard dogs, and trained armed guards. They’re also monitored with horn-embedded transmitters.