Remembering Sudan, the last northern white rhino

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The illustration looks back to this day in 2009 – when Sudan and three other white rhinos arrived at their new home at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya.

Before the rhinos were moved, the species had been declared extinct in the wild.

In 1976, Sudan was moved to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in what was then Czechoslovakia, hoping to save the subspecies. She gave birth to two children and a grandson, who were part of the group that moved to their natural habitat in Kenya.

Sudan lived alone in a 10-acre compound with 24-hour guards.

Sudan died at the age of 45 in 2018, leaving only two of its kind, its daughters, to remain in the wild.

The scientists told CNN at the time of his death that some of Sudan’s genetic material had been saved and hoped to use in vitro fertilization to bring the subspecies back.

“At least Sudan is an ambassador for so many other species that need our attention,” the National Geographic photographer told CNN at the time.

“It simply came to our notice then. Even if you live 10,000 miles away, you can make a difference through your awareness or dollars for tourism.

“Not everything is lost. Even if we don’t save the northern white rhino, we can save the other endangered rhinos and a number of lesser-known species whose numbers are declining everywhere.”

Kyle Almond contributed to this report.

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