The ENTIRE species of the northern white rhino is down to five. Yes you read that correct, not 500, not 5,000, just 5. Three of which belong to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, including the last remaining male, which now has to be guarded by a group of armed rangers around the clock.
In an effort to protect the last of the northern white rhinos from being poached and hopefully save them from extinction, the Ol Pejeta enlisted the help of 40 armed rangers to patrol the 90,000 acre area. The most important of all the rhinos is one named, Sudan, a 40-year-old male northern white rhino. He is under constant surveillance, as are the two remaining females in the conservancy. Although Sudan isn’t always surrounded since the conservancy is over 90,000 acres.
To make sure he would be less likely to be poached his horn was surgically removed and he was fitted with a radio transmitter. Often rhino horns, prized in Asian for their ancient belief that they can reduce fevers and seizures, have no real medicinal value. These horns often command huge selling prices upwards of $30,000 per pound.
The Kenyan Wildlife Service said that in 2014 over 54 rhinos were killed by poachers. From 1960 through the 80’s, the population of more than 2,000 northern white rhinos was reduced to a sad 15 because of widespread poaching, and now it’s all up to Ol Pejeta and the armed guards to keep the remaining male alive.