Sudan, the last male northern white rhino has passed away

[Spongmana]

I don't think this has been posted yet but I feel like it is worth sharing.

This was the rhino that was under armed guard to deter poachers 24/7, in the end succumbed to disease.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43468066

https://twitter.com/OlPejeta/status/975972162623418368

The only remaining northern white rhinos are two females kept in the same reserve, once those pass the species is extinct.

[Fulcrum]

couldn't they like extract semen from the...

[Spongmana]

In the article it is mentioned that they extracted semen recently, but the technology to perform IFV on rhino's isn't there yet and it is very costly (~10m$).

Hopefully in the future they manage to use the stored genetic material to restore the species

[Zealium]

Rest in peace big boy ;_;

I know you can perform what is called Posthumous Sperm Retrieval on legally brain dead male human patients, so maybe a specialised veterinarian could perform the procedure?

[Sims_doc]

Well, There is another option.

Use the body and extract DNA infomation then store it.

[TheSyntaX]

Poachers should just like...fuck off.

[Apash]

Poach the poachers

[Phygon]

This is sad and all but I wish that we didn't solely focus on charismatic megafauna when talking about extinction, they may be the most notable but they're rarely as important as the weight given to them over other species.

[Zero-Point]

I hear poacher bones are great for insomnia.

[showtek]

Money will always have a dark side

[the worm]

This 100 times. It really is tragic when a species becomes extinct, but people just don't care when it comes to something more important. I guarantee I'll see hundreds of posts about this on Facebook later today and this week, but next to nothing from more vital species that are rapidly becoming extinct.

[Vuu]

they'd all end up inbred eventually, you need the DNA of a ton of them and some combinatorics to get that to work

also it is a subspecies, so the other ones can be used to fill the niche instead

[AK'z]

such a sad state of world affairs when you have such a magnificent species and its existence relying on the hospitality of a corrupt, horror of a country that is sudan.

[Ancellax]

The Rhino was named Sudan

[Ghost901]

At least they did their part in protecting him with armed guards.

[Orkel]

But the Chinese need their rhino horn erection powder

[Chromatic Death]

What do they use it for? To make american toys?