The conservatory in Kenya is a place where two white rhinos stay. However, the conservatory is trying to produce new rhinos. They are conducting IVF rhino pregnancy tests.
About ten years ago, there were at least half a million rhinos. These rhinos went everywhere between Asia and Africa. Today, these rhinos have become a target for poaching. They also lost their habitats, and their numbers dropped. Now, there are only 27,431 rhinos worldwide.
Rhinos Staying At National Parks
A lot of the rhinos are now staying at national parks. Ol Pejeta Conservancy protects all the rhinos from poachers. Poachers targeted these beautiful, extinct animals for their horns. It is because these horns have a high medicinal value.
Another subspecies, a northern white rhino, is already extinct. Unfortunately, there are only two white rhinos alive under 24/7 surveillance. Ol Pejeta guards these rhinos.
However, scientists made a breakthrough. They announced that, in a fight to make sure the species survived, they used IVF. The scientist managed to impregnate a female southern white rhino with IVF. It is a relative of the northern rhino. Yet, it is the first time they use IVF. Thus, reviving the northern white rhino species is a big step forward.
Ol Pejeta Is A Wildlife Sanctuary
Right in the shadow of Mount Kenya, there is an Ol Pejeta that has extensive grassland. It is about the size of Philadelphia or Dublin. The whole reserve was once a cattle ranch that people took over. It turns into a wildlife sanctuary for rhino protection. However, the refuge was sold to a non-profit organization. The name of the conservatory is Fauna and Flora International. It is now the biggest rhino sanctuary in East Africa.
Ol Pejeta stands for “burnt grass” in Maasai. It is on a plateau of 1800m, right above sea level. Here, there is a lot of heat, which is ideal for mammal and bird life. While it protects rhinos, the conservatory also has cheetahs and other African animals
However, the best success story would be the rhinos. Ol Pejeta has 165 black rhinos and 52 white rhinos. The last two are northern white rhinos. Most of the squad monitors the rhinos 24/7 under a protection squad. There are also team rangers and dog units.
Protection Costs A Lot
The protection is costly. Protecting one rhino costs almost 850 dollars monthly, but it worked. Not a single rhino died in poaching for half a decade.
Even though there are black and white rhinos, all the African ones are gray. The name is irrelevant to their skin color. The theory stated that “white” comes from the Dutch word. It means “wide” in Dutch. They got the name because they noticed the rhinos had wide mouths. Black rhinos had a narrow upper lip. They gave them the name “black” to differentiate them from the “white” rhinos.
White rhinos are more friendly, and they go in groups. Black rhinos, therefore, are aggressive. They are always alone and do not go in large groups.
Most rhinos are precious, but the last two white ones are precious. The two rhinos, Najin and Fatu, are the last of their kind. They are also a subspecies of white rhinos that did well in Africa. Unfortunately, they did not survive poaching.
Two White Rhinos at a Crech Zoo
The authorities took Najin and Fatu to a Crech zoo. There are two male rhinos with the name Sudan and Suni. Back then, there were four southern whites. Now, only two remain. The four rhinos are in a 700-acre enclosure to ensure they are safe. There is CCTV 24/7, and they eat a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, the male rhino did mate with the female rhino, but she did not get pregnant. Both male rhinos are dead, and the female rhinos remain. They have company with southern white female rhinos as friends.
It is with great sadness that Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Dvůr Králové Zoo announce that Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, age 45, died at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19th, 2018 (yesterday). #SudanForever #TheLoneBachelorGone #Only2Left pic.twitter.com/1ncvmjZTy1
— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) March 20, 2018
