Den sista av sitt slag
20 March 2018
The last male northern white rhinoceros died yesterday, March 19, 2018, at the conservancy park Ol Pejeta, Kenya. He was 45 years old and died of age-related causes. Only two individuals of this subspecies now remain, also in Ol Pejeta, and the northern white rhinoceros is listed as extinct in the wild by the IUCN. There are currently 33 known species categorised as ”extinct in the wild”.
”Extinct in the wild” means that no known individuals remain in the wild, with all living animals being in human care. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has a so-called Red List, where they evaluate the survival chances of different species based on estimated numbers of individuals, whether the numbers are increasing or decreasing, and how the numbers are expected to change in the future. All evaluated species are assigned one of eight categories found on this list. On our website, you can see how our particular animals have been categorised.
Zoos contribute to the conservation of our species through research and education, but also through various captive breeding programmes and by supporting conservation efforts in the wild. In the latest compilation of the red list, 69 species had recovered enough to have their threat status reduced. For a quarter of these vertebrates, breeding in zoos and aquariums has been a contributing factor to this. The ability to breed endangered species and release individuals back into the wild exists and is practised to some extent. Examples of this include European bison, Arabian oryx and Przewalski's horse. You can read more about these programmes and others here. 35 species at Parken Zoo are part of a conservation breeding programme, and we also support several projects in the wild. You can read more about these here.
What will become of the northern white rhinoceros? Thanks to research and modern technology, there is still hope. Plans are in place to collect eggs from the two remaining females and fertilise them artificially with sperm that has previously been collected from males of the species. The fertilized eggs are then planned to be implanted into females of the southern white rhinoceros, who will then act as surrogate mothers to the calves. How it turns out remains to be seen, but we hope that we can learn from this today.
Conserving the Earth's resources, taking responsibility for our daily activities and their impact on the environment, and never buying products from endangered species or their habitats, are prerequisites for species such as rhinoceroses, tigers, lions, leopards, and many others to survive so that future generations can see them. Furthermore, a healthy planet is also a prerequisite for us humans and our well-being.