Sudan (rhinoceros)

Sudan was a northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) who was born around 1973 and died on 19 March 2018. Northern white rhinoceroses are a subspecies of white rhinoceros, and Sudan was a captive animal, meaning people cared for him.

He lived at the Safari Park Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic from 1975 to 2009. After that, he spent the rest of his life at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya.

When Sudan died, he was one of only three living northern white rhinoceroses in the world. He was also the last known male of his subspecies. Sudan was euthanised on 19 March 2018 after suffering from "age-related complications."

Capture in Africa

In February 1975, animal trappers working for Chipperfield's Circus captured a group of six northern white rhinoceroses in Shambe, South Sudan. The group included Sudan, who was two years old. The trappers worked under an agreement with Josef Vágner, who was then the director of the Dvůr Králové Zoo in Czechoslovakia, which is now the Czech Republic. The group had two males, Sudan and Saut, and four females, Nola, Nuri, Nadi and Nesari.

At that time, only about 700 northern white rhinos were believed to be left in the wild. Many environmentalists felt that leaving the animals in nature was the only good way to protect this already rare kind of rhino. The zoo and its partners at Chipperfield's Circus were criticized for the capture. The zoo specialized in African animals and already had the largest collection of them outside Africa.

Life in the Czech Republic

In 1975 the group, including Sudan, was shipped to the Dvůr Králové Zoo for their northern white rhinoceros display. The zoo was the only one in the world where northern white rhinos had successfully given birth, with the last calf being born in 2000. Two years later they were joined by Nasima, who originated from Uganda but came from Knowsley Safari Park near Prescot, England, and Saut was later lent to San Diego Zoo in the United States. After 1980, the northern white rhinos were wiped out in Uganda and Sudan, and 13 were left in Garamba National Park in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the IUCN met in 1986 in Dvůr Králové Zoo to discuss ways to save the dwindling number of northern white rhinos. Efforts included importing Ben, an older male from London, in 1986, and returning Saut from San Diego Zoo to Dvůr Králové Zoo in 1998. Attempts to join the group with several southern rhinos had only mixed success. Several surgeries were performed on the females and their eggs, and genetic material, including Sudan's semen, was preserved.

Sudan fathered three calves in the Czech Republic and became the grandfather of one. He fathered Nabire (dam: Nasima, studbook number 0351), who was born on 15 November 1983 and died at Dvůr Králové Zoo in July 2015. He was also the father of Najin, born in 1989 to Nasima, who was transported to Ol Pejeta Conservancy along with him in 2009. A third calf was born prematurely and died. Sudan was the grandfather of Fatu through his daughter Najin. The second-to-last male northern white rhinoceros in the world was Angalifu, who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with Nola until his death on 14 December 2014. Because Angalifu was beyond breeding age, Sudan was the only fertile male in the world. In June 2008, specialists met at Dvůr Králové Zoo to decide further steps. The meeting, which included the World Zoo and Aquarium Association (WAZA) and the European Zoo and Aquarium Association (EAZA), recommended moving Sudan and his group from the Czech Republic to Africa. Strong objections were raised against this proposal, especially because expert and scientific organizations were available in Europe and insemination efforts could have continued in the Czech Republic.

Return to Kenya

In December 2009, the rhinos were moved to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy for a "Last Chance To Survive" breeding program, along with three other northern white rhinoceroses. People hoped Ol Pejeta would offer a more natural home and better hormone balance to help the animals breed. However, breeding attempts with Sudan there were unsuccessful. Another of the rhinos, Suni, died in 2014. Sudan then spent his last years with his daughter Najin and granddaughter Fatu. Northern white rhinoceroses are guarded day and night to protect them from poaching, which is illegal hunting for their horns.

At the end of 2017, Sudan developed an infection in his right hind leg. His condition improved for a while, but the infection returned, and in March 2018 his health got much worse, even with intensive care. He was put to sleep on 19 March 2018, after suffering from "age-related complications." Weeks earlier, Richard Vigne, CEO of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, said that Sudan had been technically infertile for many years, so his death would not affect the chances of recovery for the northern white rhino as a species. Sudan's skin-mount and the skeleton of Nabire were displayed at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, until the end of 2021.

Scientific efforts to resurrect the subspecies

After Sudan died, Jan Stejskal, a spokesman for Dvůr Králové Zoo, said that scientists should use the special chance that new cell technology gives them to help protect very endangered animals. He said that, although it may sound hard to believe, thanks to newly developed techniques, Sudan could still have offspring.

There are now ongoing attempts at in vitro fertilization of eggs from Najin and Fatu with semen from Sudan, and to place the resulting blastocysts into suitable female southern white rhinos. In total, eggs from two females and semen from five males are now available for a possible future return of the subspecies. The team in charge made three embryos in 2019, which are currently kept in the laboratory. Because the two remaining female northern white rhinoceroses are not suitable for carrying a pregnancy, the team plans to place the embryo in southern white rhino surrogates.

Support

In February 2015, Ol Pejeta Conservancy launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the rangers who guard the rhinos. In May 2015, Dubai-based Pakistani entrepreneurs Hamid Hussain and Muhammad Yaqoob started a global campaign after contacting Ol Pejeta Conservancy. They invited celebrities to visit the conservancy and help raise money for IVF treatments and other forms of assisted reproduction. Actors Nargis Fakhri and Khaled Abol Naga were among the celebrities who visited Sudan.

In 2017, Ol Pejeta Conservancy teamed up with Tinder and Ogilvy Africa to launch a fundraising campaign to help the species recover. They created a Tinder account for Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, and app users could swipe right to make donations for the development of breeding methods. On 20 December 2020, Google showed a Doodle on its homepage in remembrance of Sudan.