Only 5 Northern White Rhinos Left On The Planet

Last month at the San Diego Zoo, an elderly Northern white rhino died leaving behind just five of the species on earth, with scientists saying there is limited hope for any more being born. The rhino had reached the grand old age of 44 when he died and was being treated for a number of ailments according to Randy Rieches, mammal creator at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

All rhino populations are falling

The remaining five Northern white rhinos are all captive, including a female that also resides at the San Diego Zoo. The Southern white rhino which is a sub species that is closely related to its Northern cousin is considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Rhino populations across the board have fallen over the last few decades largely as a result of poaching which is the product of high demand for their horns.

The species is not any closer to extinction

The Northern white rhino which died recently was old and not breeding, and Matthew Lewis of WWF says that his death has not brought the sub species any closer to extinction as a result. Nevertheless the species is in bad shape and has been for a very long time. The only way the species can survive is going to be through artificial insemination which Mr. Lewis says has proven to be very difficult in rhinos.

Interbreeding to save genes

Mr. Lewis says there is another option to save the species which entails breeding the remaining Northern white females with male Southern white rhinos. Whilst this would still mean the loss of the pure Northern white subspecies, the technique would preserve some of the genetic material of the Northern white in the resulting offspring.

There has been a partial mating

In fact the Ol Pejeta Conservancy has begun implementing this strategy which they refer to as Plan B. In 2014 conservationists at the centre introduced a fertile Southern white male into the Northern white females enclosure. Whilst this has still yet to result in a pregnancy, the conservancy has suggested that the male has expressed an interest in one of the females and has engaged in a partial mating.

“Although these animals will not be 100 [percent] northern white rhinos, they will be conserving the important locally adapted genes for the habitats and environment that the northern white rhino was adapted for and evolved within,” the Ol Pejeta Conservancy said in a statement.

Northern white rhino a victim of evolution

Mr. Lewis in the past has said that the Northern white rhino is a “victim of evolution” and is a remainder population that was actually cut off from its Southern white cousin by the dense Central African forests and the Great Rift Valley. The species was already isolated and numerically small, and got caught up in the region’s political turmoil which resulted in population decline as a result of habitat loss and poaching. He adds that conservationists should learn from this example and avoid letting a captive population of species fall to such low numbers. The story with the Northern white rhino is a worst case scenario and a powerful lesson on what not to do.