World’s rarest rhino
There are now just two northern white rhinoceros remaining in the world. Najin and Fatu (both female) live under constant protection from poachers in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Sudan (the last remaining male) died on March 19th 2018, effectively rendering the entire subspecies extinct.
The northern white rhino was once abundant across Central Africa, but staggering rates of illegal hunting for its horn have already led to its (almost certain) extinction in the wild.
Fascinating facts about northern white rhinos
White rhino, Kenya. © Camilla Iturra / Fauna & Flora
Wide rhino
Northern white and southern white rhinos are not actually white, but grey. The confusion results from a misinterpretation of the Dutch word ‘wijde’ (meaning wide, not white), used to describe the rhino’s mouth.
White rhino eating. © Stephen / Adobe Stock
Lip service
Wide mouth and lips help white rhinos graze on grass, whereas the black rhino has a narrow mouth and prehensile upper lip, which are adapted for browsing on leaves, shoots and branches.
Northern white rhino family life
Historical observations of northern white rhinos in the wild refer to territories that are patrolled and defended by resident males, while females and their young have home ranges that overlap with neighbouring rhinoceros families. Rhino gestation lasts up to 18 months, and calves are born without a horn. White rhino calves begin to graze at around two months old, but remain close to their mother for protection until they at least two years old.
Two northern white rhinos touching noses. © Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Two northern white rhinos touching noses at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
How do northern white rhinos communicate?
White rhinos are very vocal animals. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals describes ‘a wide repertoire of utterances’ including contact calls such as ‘loud chirps, gasps and puffings’ as well as ‘snarls and squeaks of distress’. Males also grunt and bellow at their rivals.
What do northern white rhinos eat?
Northern white rhinos, like their close cousin the southern white rhino, feed exclusively on short grass, which their massive mouths hoover up with the efficiency of a living, breathing lawnmower. They occupy a much more open savannah habitat than black rhinos, which feed on shrubs and other foliage.
Where do northern white rhinos live?
Northern white rhinos once ranged across north-western Uganda, southern Chad, south-western Sudan, the eastern part of Central African Republic and north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, political instability in these countries and growing demand for rhino horn led to an increase in poaching.
Armed conflict across Central Africa in the 1970s and early 1980s wiped out most of the remaining northern white rhinos except for a small population in Garamba National Park in DRC. In 2008, a survey in Garamba concluded that northern white rhinos had become extinct in the wild. This left just eight northern white rhinos in two zoos on opposite sides of the world – in the Czech Republic and California. Attention quickly turned to the northern white rhinos living in Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic.
Rhino caretaker, Peter Esegon, watches over Najin. © Justin Mott / Kindred Guardians Project / We Animals Media
Peter Esegon, one of the rhino caretakers, watches over Najin as she naps in her holding area at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Central Kenya.
Fauna & Flora’s rescue plan for northern white rhinos
In December 2009, with support from Fauna & Flora, the last four breeding individuals (two males and two females) were flown from the zoo to Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy in a final attempt to save the subspecies from extinction. It was hoped that a more natural environment would stimulate them to breed.
Since assisting with the translocation of the four northern white rhinos, Fauna & Flora has provided ongoing technical and financial support to ensure that the surviving animals, along with all the resident black rhinos and a small population of southern white rhinos, are well protected. Ol Pejeta is currently the only reserve in Africa conserving three rhinoceros subspecies.
Despite a number of matings, no northern white rhino calves were born. In 2013, one of the males suddenly died from a heart attack, leaving just one male (Sudan) and two females in Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Even before his sad and widely publicised death in March 2018, Sudan’s old age meant that natural reproduction was no longer an option.
How many northern white rhinos are left?
The chances of finding northern white rhinos alive in the wild are virtually non-existent. In the past decade, there have been sporadic, unconfirmed sightings in South Sudan’s vast Southern National Park, an area where Fauna & Flora is active. Barring a sensational discovery, however, the northern white rhino is functionally extinct. This is a term used by conservationists to describe a species (or subspecies) that still exists, but in such small numbers that it is doomed to die out. In the case of the northern white rhino, just two captive females remain alive. When they die, the subspecies will die with them unless it can be saved by artificial means.
Northern white rhino. © Andy Troy / Wirestock
One of the world's last remaining northern white rhinos in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya.
Can the northern white rhino be saved?
Rhino experts are continuing to explore the possibility of artificial reproduction technologies, using in vitro fertilisation and southern white rhino surrogate mothers as a way to preserve and maintain northern white rhino genes into the future. Could this subspecies be brought back from extinction?
The future is uncertain and it is a race against time, but there is an encouraging precedent. A century ago, the southern white rhino – the closest relative of the northern white – was on the very brink of extinction. At one point, it was down to fewer than 20 individuals. Thanks to conservation efforts, the southern white rhino population has recovered spectacularly to around 16,000. Help may have come too late to save the northern white rhino, but conservationists will not give up hope until the last female has drawn her final breath and all avenues have been exhausted.
Waiting for the miracle
Scientists have already created several northern white rhino embryos using eggs harvested from the remaining two females at Ol Pejeta Conservancy and stored sperm previously obtained from northern white rhino males. These are small steps on what will be, at best, a long road to recovery for the northern white rhino. Scientifically, however, this was a giant leap forward. The technology and expertise now exists to create viable, multicellular rhino embryos – known as blastocysts – that can be stored in a frozen state, ready to be implanted into surrogate southern white rhino mothers in future. If a successful pregnancy results, there is a prospect for the birth and addition of at least one animal to the captive population of this subspecies.
The genetic and demographic viability of new wild rhino populations depends on there being a minimum of 20 diverse founder animals. So, there is a very long way to go before we can have any confidence that northern white rhinos may one day be restored and returned to the wild, but the direction of travel is positive.
Northern white rhino caretakers. © Justin Mott / Kindred Guardians Project / We Animals Media
Northern white rhino caretakers Zacharia Kipkirui (left) and Peter Esegon (right) usher Fatu and Najin into their holding area at the end of the day at Ol Pejeta conservancy in Central Kenya a couple days before their procedure.
“Using surrogate southern white rhino mothers, it may be possible to generate future offspring from the remaining animals in the future. This will depend not only on full collaboration and sharing of expertise between artificial reproduction specialists from Europe and the US, but also on securing the funding and capacity required to establish dedicated rhino management facilities at Ol Pejeta, so that any future offspring can thrive in a natural habitat.”
Dr Rob Brett
Senior Technical Specialist, Africa
Save the world’s last rhinos
The tragic story of the northern white rhino is a lesson to us all. Together, we can ensure that the remaining rhinos on the planet do not suffer a similar fate.
Please help us to protect these incredible animals.
Donate todayNorthern white rhino. © Mark Carwardine / NaturePL