There are now only three northern white rhino left in the world.
Nola, a 41-year-old female who was one of just three of her kind, was euthanized at a safari park in San Diego USA on Sunday.
This leaves only Sudan, the last surviving male, and two females who live under constant armed guard in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya.
The plans to extend the existence of the species using Sudan’s sperm for in vitro fertilization was most recently reported on by the New York Post this week.
The numbers of northern white rhino declined faster than other subspecies because of the political instability of countries in their range, like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Sudan.
Although reports on the plans to grow test tube northern white rhinos inspire many hopeful comments from lovers of rhino and other wildlife, scientists are quick to point out that a species with so few unrelated members are not genetically viable.
Read more:
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