The death of a species
Remembering Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino
Any life is but a measurement of time spent worthwhile, and in this case the existence of a whole species laid on the shoulders of one sturdy old globe trotter, that did more for his peers than any other animal before him.
You might have already heard it in the news or somewhere else. On the 19 March 2018 something dreadful happened, something that foreshadows the final fate of an iconic animal species, the rhino. Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino was euthanised as a result to an infection he fought for several months. He was surrounded by his care takers, most honorable men that give their best to keep the fading hope alive of saving his sub species from extinction.
![Sudan 4.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNwHptypPUVP6v1rWA26YEj5j9oLJLEHpaHm71H7DBi8b/Sudan%204.gif)
He died an old man, 45 years of age, the human equivalent of 90 years. A long time on earth for someone that was forced to see the merciless decline of his own kin down to a mere three, of which two are his own daughter (Najin) and grand daughter (Fatu). The consequence of the unforgiving impact of humanity on these animals through poaching and warmongering. In 2015 through a series of tests it became clear that Sudans fertility has reached its due date and he had to be kept separately from the other rhinos for his own safety.
A lot has been tried to bring the numbers back up despite Sudans infertility, with IVF (In vitro Fertilisation) scientists from Kenya and all over the world try to fertilise eggs from Sudans offspring with his own preserved semen, unfortunately all attempts were unsuccessful so far and it will only get more difficult as Najin and Fatu grow older.
![Sudan 3.gif](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmS8Vhs4sR1bYrrupSLQFCe2S1edF2yx8L8wVUxG3Dg3hB/Sudan%203.gif)
So the all over shadowing question is where do those he left behind go? I for one count me as such, for I had the privilege to share a rather unique and special bond with Sudan. Two years after his birth In 1975, just at the peek of the renewed Russian oppression in Czechoslovakia Sudan and five other Northern White Rhinos were captured in todays South Sudan and brought to the Zoo of Dvůr Králové. Right around that time my father was able to start his new life in Germany after escaping Prague at the dawn of the Prague Spring when soviet troops invaded his home town. Both, Sudan and my father were forced to settle in new unknown environments and they prevailed, they prevailed to such a degree that they were able to create a family and foremost to sustain its livehood.
![Sudan 1.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRxH8kXrkfmU1b9dqnQYJGekYXWLutTUqzpaMmrtmVn4r/Sudan%201.gif)
In the years that followed I came into existence and grew up in a sheltered middle class home in one of Germany's most prosperous phases. We were able to travel a lot and see much of the world. At a young age I had the opportunity to see many different countries and get an understanding of the vastness of our planet. One such travel led us back to my fathers home country, a place I have grown very fond of over the years. We visited all those he had to leave behind, my aunt, cousin and grandparents, people he hasn't been able to see for decades before the Iron Curtain saw its demise. And it was their idea to visit a certain zoo at a very fateful day. I was around six years old and it was my aunts' hand that led me to an enclosure at the eastern end of the zoo. I have to admit that my memory is blurry and all I know is that I was there in front of the fence that separated me from him. If you would have asked Sudan, he would have had the same difficulties remembering me, as rhinos have very bad eye sight and I was hardly in his reach. Interestingly it was only shortly before I left my plane in Kenya years later that I remembered this fateful encounter.
![Sudan 2.gif](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmarodXn7KJnSzMrtfgiUaGCeRRhxYVmo9DbjRWvoBf4k4/Sudan%202.gif)
It was in the summer of 2016 that I crossed the border of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, without my family this time and with a film crew that tried to bring awareness to the terrible fate of Sudan and his species. Over the years the numbers of Northern White Rhinos declined steadily, from the around 40 still living animals in the midst of the nineties (The date where I met him for the first time.) to the last eight which where held in human captivity and under strictest security standards. In 2009 he was brought to the sanctuary of the reserve with the ambition to provide a more species-appropriate environment to reproduce for him, his two offsprings and another rhino bull named Suni. Five years later Suni and another male that was held in San Diego Zoo died which made Sudan the last surviving male Northern White Rhino on earth.
![Sudan 5.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXnke2WQKopPkaap7mxFdUUFjmaAybtzoJ19vGiTaRNyp/Sudan%205.gif)
An extremly saddening fact that shamefully depicts humanity's greed in its most destructive nature. To secure Sudan and the other rhinos a troop of around 40 rangers is needed to prevent any possibility of poaching in and around the Northern White enclosure. We were made aware of the rhinos safety regulations and after settling into our camp we made our way to the rhinos where the care takers waited for us. They showed us around, giving us the opportunity to interview some of the other rangers and to film the poaching counter measures that are funded by donations and sponsors from all over the world. Tracking dogs from britain, gear from the U.S. and Europe and the men from Kenya make up the defense line against the invading demand for rhino horn on Asian and western markets. With an estimated worth of 60.000 $ rhino horn is one of the worlds most valuable resources, leaving even gold and platinum as commodities behind. How can something that consists of keratin, the same material as our own hair and finger nails gain such a value? You can't answer this question with reason, because where there is reason there needs to be profound knowledge of a given topic. And that is something that truly lacks in areas where the demand for horn is the biggest; in China for example, where the deluded elite celebrates their ignorance by snorting pulverised horn in hope it gives them lasting Libido. Now think of Sudan, the last heir to a species whose ancestry goes back 50 Million years, that is more than 10 times we have been here. Whilst we were starting to look into the plains for food, the rhino already reigned it and gracefully carved its path through history untill again being confronted with this little mammal that once looked so puny and helpless, but now multiplied to such an extent, that even the mighty rhinoceros stood no chance and slowly tracked back to uninhabitable grounds where it is now fighting for survival.
![Sudan 7.gif](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmbNB3NjXP9emYiCu5JQwJX8XTdVqbfCpAV8T9WNKmqKMU/Sudan%207.gif)
In front of Sudans enclosure I was getting ready to meet him again. I must have checked my camera equipment a dozen times, cleaned my memory cards and freed my lenses from non existing dust. Zacharia Mutai, the ranger on duty that day taught us how to behave around the old guy. Approaching him came with some restrictions. It was of utmost importance to only get close to him from the right side, cause he was getting progressively blind on his left eye. Carefully Zacharia led us behind the fence towards the abode place of Sudan. From afar I heard heavy steps and the panting respiration of tired and overused lungs. Zacharia already knew of my Czech origin after I told him of that day in the zoo of Dvůr Králové. He told me that whenever the old care takers from the Czech Republic come down to look how their longtime companion is doing they would talk in Czech to him, he suggested I should do the same.
After he called Sudans name multiple times and lured him with fresh hay, the heavy stomps came closer and then finally he appeared in front of us. This humongous and gracious animal that travelled half the world, whilst beating all odds, now stood once again before me. He had no haste and was following Zacharia in a well studied maenor that showed me the strong bond they shared and the trust his care taker must have incorporated.
Both wandered around the enclosure communicating in silence and an unspoken agreement of mutual comfort, just the occasional 'Sudan' spoken in a very monotonous voice filled the wide ranging area. Sudan ignored the camera for most of the time; the rich abundance of hay made sure he was kept busy. I followed Zacharias every command and was able to move casually around the safe side of Sudan. At one point I began talking to him in Czech to get his attention, at first he listened vaguely, but then the flapping ears signaled me he had heard me and acknowledged my presence. I called him by 'Děda', which means grandpa and somehow I got his full attention. He turned to me and moved towards my camera. I hid behind a little tree to get a better shot and he seemed to have understood my intention. He waited for me to get the footage, gently looking and full of the one thing he showed throughout his entire life: Patience. This compassionate creature that once crossed my path before now had found the tranquility and serenity in a place that was build to give him the best possible life and to make up for humanities wrongdoings over the past centuries.
![Sudan 6.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmReEUrJxaLbGJShKMJeJiQHF3pXt6xKevLohrNrv2fxZ9/Sudan%206.gif)
He lived his last moments as the sole surviving male in dignity and in an environment made for his well being. All those great people around him worked tirelessly to show that we not only are able to destroy but to preserve the heritage that was bestowed upon us as the leading species on earth. I have learned one thing from Sudan, it is that the responsibility every one of us has to carry is but there for one reason, to make sure that we share this planet with the same beings we shared it with when we were brought into this world. In Sudans case I can only hope that the sacrifices he made earned him a spot with his ancestors, with whom he now runs and storms and reigns the plains as he should have done in his life time, as the king of a species, not through imminent extinction and fatal reduction of his kin but as the alpha animal he has been all along. He was nicknamed 'Last male standing' and he will probably always be known as such, till maybe under some lucky circumstances science gets ahead of human misdemeanor and we can undo the mistakes of our past.
“I gave Sudan one last scratch on his ear. He leaned his heavy head into mine and the skies opened up just as they had when he arrived in Ol Pejeta nine years ago.”
-Ami Vitale, Nat Geo, on saying good bye to a life long friend
I knew the news really impressive, we are facing a crisis of values
Nice work from you well done
Thanks for sharing this with us
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Thank you for your comment! Really appreciated, it is indeed a crisis of values, it is about those values we leave behind for our children and those vanish in a rapid rate....
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I knew the news really impressive, we are facing a crisis of values
Nice work from you well done
Thanks for sharing this with us
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Bad new
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Truly bad news indeed, but at the same time it is still a success story, we should never forget that.
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Yes you have right !
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Great article. I will be doing a realism drawing of Sudan and I was wondering if I can add a link of this post next to my drawing if people want to learn more about it.
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Sure mate! Go for it, send me the picture as a comment to this conversation!
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Thank you. Haven't started to work on it yet, but will do for sure :)
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What a beautiful story, thank you for sharing your experience! This is sad as hell, and it's even sadder that more people don't realize how very important each and every animal is, species and sub-species, males and females. For the ecosystem of the world to continue to go as nature intended, each and every animal needs to be protected. It seems a great deal of effort was put into trying to save this sub-species of rhino, and it is so heart-warming to know that there are still people with good ethics and values in regards to people's relationships to wild animals.
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I think you should change the title to: "The death of a subspecies...". Nice article by the way 👍
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I used it regarding the whole rhino species, which is on the brink of extinction.
All those successes we had in stabilising the numbers of southern white rhinos and other sub species might be in vain if the numbers of poaching over shadow the numbers of repopulation. Poaching is on the rise and it now even happens in European Zoos.
In questioning the title I hopefully managed to make you think of the species as a whole.
Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you liked the article.
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Really shocked that he is the last one, kinda crazy, Does not feel real...
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It doesnt feel real for anyone that worked with him and saw him grow over the years. But reality is cruel and we have to adapt...
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It is sad to see what people are doing to the species sharing this planet with us. Sadly to hear this is not uncommon happening and many other species like this rhino with a direct fault from us. We sure need to change our ways so maybe we can prevent some of these things from happening in the future. I truly hope we will.
Thank you for sharing such an amazing post about what should be a big news in the world. So up close and very personal. You really put time into this post.
Have an amazing day. :)
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Thank you for your insights! We are really on the verge of the next big mass extinction, where a lot of the animals we have grown fond of will perish and our children will only think of them as creatures from fables.
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beautifully written article. an impressive eulogy and poignant warning to global citizens of the consequences of apathy..
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Thank you for your comment! Our time is so limited on earth but at the same time we use it in such a destructive manor that dooms those that have even less time.
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ojalá pueda sobrevivir estos hermosos animales, y pare la desvastación humana. buenas fotos.
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Gracias😆
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it's saddening to see an animal as majestic as this at the brink of extinction in our lifetime
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Indeed, and if we don't take care of the rest, we will have a lot more to mourn over in the coming years.
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I remember that there was fears the white rhino's survival when I was in school (60 years ago) and now this.
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We learn nothing from past knowledge and just keep repeating misstakes. Thank you for sharing this, people should know that this problem did not arise over night.
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It is indeed a long known problem and it won't get better, but there is still hope. We just have to keep on educating people, this is the only way.
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It's always sad to hear stuff like this but we need to remember that it's just evolution.
Some species eventually go extinct. The sad part about it is that often it's caused by humans...
Definitely a quality article ;)!
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The processe of natural selection happens over the course of very Long time Frames. Humanity's influence on the animal kingdom happened in such a short period of time, that it hardly can be called evolution.There is nothing natural about the human involvment in the next mass extinction. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-43516211
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Wise words my man :)! Wise words...
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A majestic animal putting all his trust into man, for man to take away his life. Man cannot justify the their unnecessary need for destruction. They themselves are destroyed within. What to do now? :(
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Following those that work on the front, help them and support them as good as you can, true change can only come if the world stands united behind those that give their all.
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When I read the news, I was devastated. Not only the white rhino, but other species are on the brink of extinction as well. Resteeming this to forever remember the great white rhino... Thanks for shedding light on Sudan's life...RIP Sudan ... Thanks @mjphoto
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Thank you @deborism! It is true, declining numbers are everywhere, in the seas, on land and in the skies. Animals that are of utmost importance to our ecosystem will vanish and leave behind a disfunctional ecosphere that will hardly be able to maintain itself.
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so sad really, but unfortunately a reality we deal with.
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If everyone would take their Impact onto the world into consideration a huge bulk of problems would vanish in an instant, sadly for some casualties it is already too late.
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we have encroached on their habitat and humans and animals depending on the species dont coexist to well, unfortunately.
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This won't change anytime soon but there might be a time when there is a silver lining on the horizon. Just have to hope and keep educating people.
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yes indeed education is a key factor here.
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Impressive! We are destroying our planet faster and faster. Your example is only one of the cases. The same thing happens with many other species of animals and most likely also plants. I loved your text a lot, but it let me sick.
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Just now the giraffe was labled as vurnerable for the first time ever. We see this all over the board, from aquatic to land to sky, we need to act now or all we have left are the fabled stories about these majestic creatures that once roamed the earth and our children will ask us why we let it happen...
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That's heartbreaking. I never realized this was happening so quickly. Thank you for sharing.
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This happens to all the vulnerable species on this planet, we need to get a global umderstanding of what is left of our animal heritage.
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Its sad seeing this happend because of humans thank you for sharing these pictures
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Glad you liked it, we are one destructive race, that's for sure.
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This is terrible news. But on a bright side I hear they were able to get cells from this Rhino so it'll be easy to clone.
They are already cloning humans and bringing back the Wooly Mammoth.
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The problem will be the repopulation in the wild. It will be very difficult to acclimatise lab animals to their natural habitats. But we might work something out, never lose hope.
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I remember reading about this... Terrible news. Rhinos are my favorite animals! May we feel resposible and take better care of the remaining few..
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Yes! Terrible indeed, everyone needs to take responsibility if we truly want to create change.
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Adeiu Sudan!.
Is it possible to crossbreed maybe Najin or Fatu with another rhino breed? if they have like 5 offsprings, would it be possible that one of them is a male white rhino?
This was Beautiful! Excellent!
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Yes! Actually that will be one way to preserve the genetic material to some degree. With the help of the southern white rhino there is the possibility of cross breeding, but still this won't be the same as a successful IVF and just an watered down after image of the species.
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I see. Well, lets keep our fingers crossed. Never know what we'll find with tech. A whole new and more effective process could come up.
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This is very disheartening but also promising in the sense that humans can do everything to prevent a species of animal from going into extinction.
How I wish they recorded success with the IVO fertilization.
Until people understand the importance of animals to living and the planet, we are no way close to stopping species extinction. A massive reorientation on extinction has to be done unless, in years to come, millions of species will have gone into extinction.
A good one
Keep steeming. @tormiwah
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I have had endless conversations about that topic with people on the inside of conservation. It is well known and to some degree broadly accepted that we will lose most of the big five by 2050-2070. It will start with the rhino, then comes the elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo... Poaching is an all devouring Leviathan of madness that won't stop till nothing is left of what once roamed the earth.
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