![]() ![]() ![]() At that time the population of northern white rhinos was about 2,400, according to conservation charity Save the Rhino.Īlthough national governments with large rhino populations such as South Africa are taking traditional measures such as dehorning rhinos to make them less susceptible to poaching, innovative technology is also being explored to regrow the population of the endangered animals. The chase for rhino horns began since the 1960s. “People are willing to pay any price for their health.” They’re also used as status symbols.” A kilo can fetch $60,000 - $65,000 in the Asian black market, he adds. “They’re very prized,” he says, “especially can treat cancer, influenza, convulsions, and even act as an aphrodisiac. Though the sale of rhino horns was banned by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) since 1977, its purported curative properties sustains its demand in the Far East. Mwenda explains that poachers target rhinos for their horns that are made of keratin-the same component in human nails and hair. What makes these gentle giants susceptible to poaching? The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is home to the two remaining northern white females-20-year-old Fatu and 30-year-old Najin. Rhinos have especially been victims of a merciless chase by poachers. Based in Bonn, Germany, the IBES works to strengthen the link between science and policy on issues related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. In May 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed that approximately 1 million plant and animal species were in dire danger of extinction. Mwenda reflected poignantly on the extinction of white male rhinos. This really transformed me and helped me know I have a responsibility to be his voice.” It is a void that would have made Sudan feel very sad. I think the emptiness of extinction, which means forever, and never coming back, is tragic. “It’s not easy being the last of your kind on our planet. He continues: “People may think that animals don’t have feelings, but when I looked Sudan in his eyes, I felt the pain he was going through. ![]() “One evening, while feeding him, I saw him dropping tears, and that made me ask myself: ‘Why would he be crying?’” “Sudan was the last northern white male rhino known to exist,” explains Mwenda who works at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife centre in Kenya. ![]()
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