Current status of Northern White Rhino

Hello everyone!

A survival plan was initiated a few years ago to round up the surviving Northern white rhino to save the species from extinction. Does anyone know how the the plan's progressing?

I still can't quite believe how quickly it's population crashed.

 

The northern white rhinos are sadly doomed. There are 3 non-reproductive individuals left in zoos outside of Africa (one in the Czech Republic and two at the San Diego Wild Animal Park) and a couple non-reproductive individuals on a ranch in Kenya, and no other known ones on the planet.

 

This is one of the classic worked examples of an extinction that could, and should, have been prevented. By the late 1970s it was pretty clear that a) the captive breeding of Southern White Rhino had been cracked and b) the Northern White Rhino was in serious trouble, with a mass of political troubles swamping its host range countries (Uganda, Sudan, DRC, CAR, and Chad).

Instead of persuading Zaire (as it then was) to allow out a dozen or so animals from Garamba, where the animal was then doing well, and moving the remaining zoo held animals with them into two or three captive groups, grandstanding and inertia and squabbling ensued.

By contrast, the poachers went on with what they did only too well.

 

Has anyone considered trying to produce hybrids as a last resort?

 

For all good purposes …, the zoo community (and this mainly Dvur Kralove Zoo) along with the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group tried very hard with the Zairean Administration and Conservation Department to set up satellite herds elsewhere with Garamba breeding stock plus the few surviving captive and reproductively active individuals …, this to no avail.

If there EVER should be a blame game it REMAINS solely WITH the Zairean Government intransigence that led to A) no captive facility in Eastern Africa for northern whites Ceratotherium cottoni and B) the ultimate demise of the only wild and breeding herd due to local political insurgency / instability and the active out-of-control poaching by christian (ISIS-ist mentality) rebel groups from across borders in both Uganda and Sudan.

 

There are. I read something the day before yesterday about a conservancy in Kenya that is ready to do just that. I think they're just waiting on approval.



Hix

 

Another thread seems to confirm this. As good a solution as exists at this point.

 

It is already a work in progress …

Besides, Dvur has just completed an op on their remaining northern white rhino female if ovae can be recovered from her for future use.

 

Let be honest, there really wasn't a Zairean government - just Mobutu. But it does seem strange that Mobutu's people wouldn't work with zoos on Northern Whites. They had a pretty decent relationship with WCS, GIC, and Miami Metrozoo on the okapi. Mobutu, in the 1980s, was very American friendly from what I understand. Of course Mobutu wouldn't actually provide resources for his own government towards conservation. He would allow Americans to do it, but only for a kick-back as well.

 

Sorry we are talking nineties and 2000's here …, nothing to do with Mobutu!

 

Mobutu remained in power until 1997; the influence of his kleptocratic rule (supported by the US) is still felt today in the chaos that continues to engulf the eastern Congo.

 

I don't think you can really blame him for the chaos, he merely bottled it up for a few decades, it had been going on long before he took over. Still a nasty piece of work though.

 

Sad news from Ol Pejeta today. Suni, the 34 year-old bull from Dvur Kralove died in the morning on 17th October. They are still trying to find the cause for his sudden death. There are now only 6 known Northern white rhinoceros left.

Untitled Document

 

And they MUST preserve this one. Not only the bones but skin also (though the vets act like vandals almost every time)

 

Still it's funny for ya? (Sub)species becoming extinct with no new preserved specimens left... all ve have are old cracked mounts and bolied greasy bones. And 6 living ones going to be dumped as time comes - no way they preserve them in Africa instead of burning down or feeding to scavengers...

 

Does it really matter whether they are preserved or not? I personally am not really bothered whether a species has preserved specemins or not. I do believe that keeping DNA is important because I believe that eventually humans will have the technology to bring back species from DNA but having preserved mounts in museums around the world? (Note that I am not attacking your opinions this is meant to be friendly debate )

 

IMO both should preserved : loads of DNA-samples as well as skin and bones !