Heartbreaking

Sudan, the World’s Last Northern White Rhino, Dies

Researchers praise his “dignity and strength.”

Sudan, the world’s last northern white rhino, has died at age 45. A statement from Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya said the old rhino breathed his last on Monday. Researchers were forced to euthanize him due to “age-related complications” that left him unable to stand and with open wounds and infections on his skin. Sudan was something of a Kenyan celebrity who attracted thousands of visitors to the conservation park and made headlines last year when he joined Tinder to seek a mate with the bio: “The most eligible bachelor in the world.” Announcing his death, researchers said Sudan “stole the heart of many with his dignity and strength,” adding: “He was a great ambassador for his species and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity.” Despite Sudan’s death, hope remains for the species: Scientists will now have to rely on in vitro fertilization using stored genetic material from other rhinos and eggs extracted from the two remaining females—Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter.