World’s Last Male White Rhino Placed Under 24-Hour Armed Guard In Kenya

His species decimated by poachers. His breed all but extinct.  Sudan the white rhino finds himself in a decidedly perilous position. He is the last male northern white rhinoceros on the planet and the survival of the species rests solely upon his shoulders.

The Independant reports that the 40-year-old animal is shielded by 24-hour armed guards in the Kenya game conservancy. This extraordinary sanctuary is home to countless animals that have been orphaned, injured or, like Sudan, are facing possible extinction. The hope here is that the rhino might produce progeny and save his species from being woefully destroyed.

Sudan is a northern white rhino of which only five in the world remain. He and two females are cared for by rangers at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservacy. Two other females live elsewhere in the world, also in captivity. But sadly, all five are considered to be past their reproductive years, and scientists say there’s a limited chance of any more calves being born. Nevertheless, hope remains.

Sudan has been fitted with radio transmitters, making him easy to track and locate. As a further precaution the rhino’s horn, prized by the nefarious poachers, has also been removed.

Rhino horns are serious money for those who hunt them, often fetching $75,000 per kilogram or more. “The only reason his horn has been cut off is to deter the poachers.” Elodie Sampere of the conservancy told the Dodo. “If the rhino has no horn, he is of no interest to poachers. This is purely to keep him safe.”

Now consider this. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature more than 2,000 northern white rhinos roamed the earth in 1960. By 1984, poachers ravenously reduced this number to a tragic 15.

There is a state of war between those who protect the rhinos and those who seek to butcher these creatures for their own profit and greed. Poachers use night vision goggles and silencers on their AK-47’s. They are well armed and well informed. And they will stop at nothing and no one to line their pockets with blackmarket cash.

Simor Irungu is one of the tireless rangers who safeguards Sudan and other rhinos at Ol Pejeta. In a Januray interview with the website World of Animals, he detailed just how trecherous his line of work is. “With the rising demand for rhino horn and ivory, we face many poaching attempts. And while we counter a large number of these, we often risk our lives in the line of duty.”

Last month, Ol Pejeta launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide their rangers with the best possible training and equipment. Thus far, the campaign has raised about $7,700.

To find out more about Sudan and Ol Pejeta, visit the conservancy’s website.