The last two Nothern-White Rhinos on earth
There are just two Nothern White Rhinos left on planet earth. I’ve followed the story of these rhinos for almost 10 years, well before I knew I wanted to go into wildlife conservation.
In February 2023, I was lucky enough to travel to Kenya with my family to go and see them. This trip created memories of a lifetime for me, not only because they are the last of a species but because it ignited a passion for my day job working in the illegal wildlife trade field.
Meeting Najin & Fatu
This is their story. ..
This rhino species was once abundant across Central Africa but staggering rates of illegal hunting for its horn have already led to its extinction in the wild.
In 2009, four of the world’s last remaining seven northern white rhinos arrived at Ol Pejeta in Kenya - Najin, Fatu, Sudan and Suni. They had been living in a zoo in the Czech Republic but all previous breeding attempts in the Zoo had not worked. The hope was that the climate and rich grasslands of Kenya would provide them with more favourable breeding conditions.
These rhinos are the most protected on the planet. They have dedicated 24hr armed security, a 700-acre enclosure, and a nutritious diet supplemented with fresh vegetables.
The courageous rangers who put their lives at risk every day to protect wildlife.
Credit: Max Bauer
The plan was for the rhinos to mate and to slowly but surely start repopulating this almost-extinct species. But it never happened. Plan B was to introduced a male southern white male rhino (a different species of rhino) to the two females Fatu and Najin in the hopes that offspring would be produced and atleast preserve some of the nothern white rhino genes. But again, this was sadly unsuccessful.
The tragedy continued in 2014 with the loss of Suni, one of the males who died of natural causes, leaving just one northern white rhino male left in the entire world who was capable of breeding. This male, Sudan was now solely responsible for the fate of his species.
Visiting the rhino graves in Ol Pejeta, Kenya
Breeding efforts continued to fail and fail and in 2015 after vet checks, it was found that neither of the females were capable of natural reproduction and Sudan himself was getting too old.
Sudan died in 2018 and his death rocked the conservation world. I still remember seeing news of his death all over mainstream media with heartbreaking images of Sudan with this rangers mourning him.
Credit: BBC
Hope and a race against time
So that leaves two Nothern White Rhinos, Najin and Fatu. But there is hope! Vets are confident that artificially assisted reproduction is a possibility. The future of this subspecies now lies in the development of in vitro fertilisation techniques and stem cell technology, costly and complicated procedures that have never before been attempted in rhinos. NORTHERN WHITE RHINO FACTS
The white rhino is the third largest African animal (after the elephant and hippo) and weighs between 1,700 and 2,400 kg
White rhinos are not actually white, but grey. The confusion results from a misinterpretation of the Dutch word ‘wijde’ (meaning wide, not white), used to describe the rhino’s mouth
The wide mouth is an adaptation that helps them graze on grass, as opposed to the black rhino’s pointed mouth, which is adapted for browsing on leaves, shoots and branches
Rhino horn is used in traditional Asian medicines and to demonstrate social status
Feeding a blind black rhino in Kenya.