Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

World’s last male northern white rhino dies
“He was a great ambassador for his species."

Sudan was euthanised on welfare grounds aged 45

The world’s last male northern white rhino has been euthanised due to ill health, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya has confirmed.

Sudan had been undergoing treatment for age-related changes that caused degenerative changes in his muscles and bones, combined with extensive skin wounds.

Vets made the decision to euthanise him yesterday (19 March) at the age of 45, after his condition worsened significantly, leaving him suffering a great deal and unable to stand.

Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta’s CEO said: “We on Ol Pejeta are all saddened by Sudan’s death.

“He was a great ambassador for his species and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity.”

His death leaves just two female northern white rhinos on the planet - his daughter Najin and granddaughter Fatu, who also live at Ol Pejeta.

Saving the subspecies
In a world-first, international scientists are now attempting to safely remove egg cells from Najin and Fatu, fertilise them with semen previously collected from northern white rhinos and insert the resulting embryos into female southern white rhinos acting as surrogates.

This has never been done in rhinos and does not come without risks, Ol Pejeta said. However, options are running out as attempts to breed the last four northern whites from 2009 were unsuccessful. Plans to breed the northern white females with a southern white male also failed in 2014.

It was later discovered that neither of the females could conceive naturally, and only was one fertile enough to conceive artificially. The other male, Suni, died of natural causes in October 2014.

Jan Stejskal, director of international projects at Dvůr Králové Zoo said: “Sudan was the last northern white rhino that was born in the wild. His death is a cruel symbol of human disregard for nature and it saddened everyone who knew him.

“But we should not give up. We must take advantage of the unique situation in which cellular technologies are utilised for conservation of critically endangered species. It may sound unbelievable, but thanks to the newly developed techniques even Sudan could still have an offspring.”

Image © Jan Stejskal
 

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.