The extinction of a species is never something that should be taken lightly. For me, imaging that there are animals on the Earth today that my children and grandchildren won’t get to see is a truly frightening thought.
Which is why it angers me beyond believe that there are people out there who are actively killing off species through their sheer greed.
As per reports, the last two northern white rhinos are having to be protected by armed guards around the clock, 24 hours a day, so that poachers can’t kill them and end their species entirely.
The subspecies of rhino have been in trouble for decades, and now there are just two left. Making matters worse, the two are both female, meaning they obviously can’t conceive children naturally.
Fortunately, thanks to the science of today, IVF treatment is a possibility. Najin, 31, and her daughter Fatu, 19, are to undergo just that in the hope that they can give birth and continue their species for the future.
Yet there are still those out there who wish to kill the rhinos to make a profit from selling their body parts.
James Mwenda, a conversationist, has been taking care of the animals at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya, since 2013.
His task was made harder when, in 2018, the last male of the species, Sudan, died, aged 45.
“That is the hope we have,” James told My Modern Met, referring to the aforementioned IVF.
“That is what we want to hear-that Sudan and the northern white rhinos are being resurrected.
“We rely on it so much, and we are waiting, fingers crossed.”
In a last-ditch effort to save the northern white rhino, researchers have used sperm extracted from male white rhinos before their deaths. They also have eggs from Najin and Fatu, and have been able to harvest two embryos at a lab in Italy.
As per reports, though, neither Najin or Fatu can carry a pregnancy, meaning southern white rhinos – of which there exist many more – may act as their surrogates.
James Mwenda is hoping that the story of the last two white rhinos on Earth will help conservation efforts to protect other subspecies from the same fate moving forward.
I don’t know about you, but my heart breaks every time I see stories like this one. When will we learn that we must share the planet with all God’s creatures?
Share this article if you hope and pray that the future of the northern white rhinos can be salvaged.