Decades of hunting for rhino horns led to their near extinction. They live in the Ken Olgata Conservancy in Kenya, and they are protected around the clock by armed guards. As of March 2018, there are only two rhinos left in northern white rhinoceros, both female. There are two genetically distinct subspecies, Nathanar and southern white rhinoceros and it is found in two different regions of Africa. Known as square rhinoceros, white rhinoceros has a square upper lip that has almost no hair. White rhinos are the second largest land mammals and their name comes from African, a West Germanic language, the word “weight” which means wide and the animal’s face.
If the efforts succeed, this will be the first time a virtually extinct mammal species would be brought back.įor weather, science, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store).Striking out Rhino Extinction Which rhino was extinct in 2018?Īs of March 2018, there are only two rhinos left in northern white rhinoceros, both female. The process of saving northern white rhinos is likely to take years, if not decades, but a chance to save these beautiful creatures is what the drives the team of scientists. Recently, scientists were successful in cloning a Przewalski’s horse-an endangered species with less than 2,000 individuals. The ultimate aim is to have a viable herd of at least 4-5 individuals who might have a chance to repopulate their natural habitat in Africa. The selection of surrogate mothers is also extremely crucial for the success of these efforts since the number of eggs is minimal. The team of scientists involved belong to different countries-Kenya, the Czech Republic, Germany, the US and Italy-and the travel restrictions severely hampered the conservation processes. Pandemic delays the processĪs COVID-19 spread across the globe, the pandemic-induced travel restrictions posed a major constraint to the race against time to save northern white rhinos. As of now, three embryos have been created from the harvested eggs. The eggs will be inseminated with the decades-old frozen sperms from the male northern white rhinos. The extracted eggs in August this year were the third round of eggs taken within 13 months. Both Najin and Fatuwill are capable of carrying the pregnancy to term. Now, the hopes of survival of this virtually extinct subspecies cling on to the efforts by scientists to create viable embryos that would be transferred into southern white rhino surrogates. Last month, however, scientists achieved a breakthrough success, as they successfully extracted eggs from these two remaining individuals-named Najin and Fatuwill. The average lifespan of the species in 40 years. Now, Sudan’s 29-year-old daughter and 18-year-old granddaughter, are the only two known individuals belonging to this subspecies. The last surviving male northern white rhino, named Sudan, died in March 2018 in Kenya. September 22 is celebrated as the World Rhino Day to spread awareness on these majestic species and the threats they face. Unfounded belief over the therapeutic value of their horns makes them an attractive purchase in East Asia and Africa. In recent decades, they are poached across the globe to fetch their horns, which are sold in black markets at prices comparable to that of gold. Rhinoceros were killed extensively by trophy hunters in the colonial era. Northern white rhinos, on the other hand, are just two in number! Southern white rhinos are more than 20,000 in number and are the most abundant subspecies of rhinos. White rhinoceros-one of five extant species of rhino family-exhibit opposite ends of the spectrum.
But, all hopes are not lost! A bunch of dedicated scientists are working tirelessly, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, to save Northern White Rhinos. Amid all the grim statistics, chances of saving this beloved African species look extremely thin. Today, only two surviving female individuals of this subspecies are fighting the battle of survival-both unfit to carry a pregnancy to term. At the turn of the 21st century, around fifty were left. In the 1900s, estimates suggest that there were nearly 3,000 Northern White Rhinos on Earth.