Rare northern white rhino dies leaving just six of his kind in existence

THE tragic death of a northern white rhino at a Kenyan conservation centre has left just six of the animals in existence across the entire world.

Rare rhino’s death leaves just six of its kind

THE death of a rare northern white rhino in Kenya has left just six of the animals in existence.

Suni, 34, died suddenly on Friday at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and the zoo said yesterday it had yet to establish the cause of death.

Suni was one of four northern whites at the zoo and one of the last two breeding males in the world.

None of the species are known to have survived in the wild, so Suni’s death leaves northern whites at the brink of total extinction — a fact the zoo called “a sorry testament to the greed of the human race”.

Wild northern whites are thought to have been eradicated by poachers, who hunt them for their horns.

The last four wild northern rhinos lived in the Congo at Garamba National Park, and not have not been seen in years.

Suni and the other northern whites at the conservation centre had their horns sawn off to make them less vulnerable to poachers. Radio transmitters were installed in place of the horns to monitor their whereabouts.

Suni was the first northern white to be born into captivity, at the Dvur Kralove Zoo, and was relocated to Ol Pejeta in 2009.

Some of his sperm has been collected and frozen in the hope it could be used to revive the species.

The zoo said yesterday: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of our northern white rhinos, Suni.

“Suni was not a victim of poaching and we have yet to establish the cause of his sudden death. The Kenya Wildlife Service vets will conduct a post mortem as soon as possible.

“We will continue to do what we can to work with the remaining three animals on Ol Pejeta in the hope that our efforts will one day result in the successful birth of a northern white rhino calf.”