There is some really sad news for all Rhinoceros, nay, animal lovers out there and it's making us feel as gutted as ever. 'Sudan', the last EVER male Northern White Rhino has died and his species will soon face extinction. Now, let's first focus on what the word 'extinction' really means, since we haven't experienced it yet, within our species. 'Extinction' is complete and absolute termination of an organism or a group of organisms or a species, from the face of this earth. Which literally means there is no way to evoke a complete species unless of course there is a rare phenomenon such as the 'Lazarus Taxa', where a species presumed extinct, suddenly 'reappears', after a period of long absence. But unfortunately, that's not going to be the case for the Northern White Rhino, unless of course nature performs an absolute miracle!

© Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Sudan might have been the last male of his species but he did leave two females behind, who unfortunately cannot procreate due to some unfortunate complications. Sudan was living in Kenya at the Ol Pejeta  Conservancy, in Laikipia County and he had to be euthanized by the vets, due to his ill health.

Well, here are some fun fact to uplift your spirits before they come plummeting down again (you'll know why soon enough). Due to the inability of the female Rhino's to procreate, the sanctuary Sudan was at, set up a Tinder account for him in order to help fund the development of 'in vitro' fertilization for Rhinos. How cute is that? Well, IVF is a method to create a zygote from the male sperm and the female egg, outside the body and eventually plant the zygote inside the mother's womb! Tinder would eventually help Sudan find his IVF mate so that the species could survive another generation. But alas, Sudan couldn't live out his dating days and passed away due to infected bedsores, as his mobility decreased. He was 90 years old in human age.

© National Geographic

In lieu of Sudan's health, the reserve wrote a rather endearing message for all the people who had been showing concern for his health.

"His health has begun deteriorating and his future is not looking bright. At the end of 2017, Sudan developed an uncomfortable age-related infection on his back right leg.

Recently, a secondary and much deeper infection was discovered beneath the initial one. This has been treated, but worryingly, the infection is taking longer to recover, despite the best efforts of his team of vets who are giving him 24-hour care.

Everything possible is being done to help him regain his health. We are very concerned about him – he's extremely old for a rhino and we do not want him to suffer unnecessarily."

So many people have supported the northern white rhinos since they arrived on Ol Pejeta in 2009, and we feel it is important to inform you that Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on the planet, is starting to show signs of ailing. pic.twitter.com/BMNTprww57

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) 1 March 2018

At the advanced age of 45, his health has begun deteriorating, and his future is not looking bright. At the end of the 2017, Sudan developed an uncomfortable age related  infection on his back right leg.

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) 1 March 2018

With the last two surviving female Northern White Rhino. This is the team that provides their round-the-clock care. Let's all appreciate the team & acknowledge their dedication to conservation. @OlPejeta #TembeaKenya #MagicalKenya #Rhino #WorthMoreAlive pic.twitter.com/3kwKy7OxQQ

— Prof. Judi Wakhungu EGH (@JudiWakhungu) 3 March 2018

Back in 1960, there were 2,000 Northern White Rhinos in the world. 2,000! Enough to successfully overpopulate the world with their kind. What happened you ask? The greed and lust of man took over slowly yet abruptly and wiped an entire species out. Imagine someone wiping off the human race from the face of the earth. This is as shocking, if not more, than knowing there is not a single Northern White Rhino remaining in the world. Poaching drove the species to the brink of extinction and by 1984, there were just 15 Northern White Rhinos left in the world.

© Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Rhinos aren't poached for their meat or skin. Rhinos are poached for their horns. One horn of a Rhino costs the animal its life. Rhino horns are a highly valuable component of traditional Chinese medicines, practiced in China, Vietnam and other parts of East Asia. Rhinos die in hundreds each year. And since 2,000 was barely a number the Northern White Rhino left the earth sooner than the rest. Poaching has taken over the habitat of a lot of endangered species who are headed for extinction.

© YouTube

Be it the Tiger or the Giant Panda or even the Blue Whale, the majestic, magnificent creatures are losing their habitat and the race to survive their extinction due to heavy bred poaching activities. It's time humans realize the dire consequences of taking away chances of survival from the animals that ooze star power, who are the actual 'charisma megafauna' of the world. Survival of the human race without the most endangered species is on a thin line and the line keeps getting blurred every day.

Although conversationalists are making one hell of an effort to conserve these species and the sanctity they hold in the world, it really depends on the governments of the world to put stricter orders on activities like poaching, hunting or encroaching upon lands where wild animals dwell, so that these species actually have a fair chance of survival.

© YouTube

Unfortunately, in Sudan's case, the chances of revival of his species look way bleak. IVF is a very complicated procedure for the Northern White Rhino and it's taken decades trying to figure a proper method to make something like IVF work on a depleting species. IVF has never been completely successful in Rhino conservation and research still has a long way to go until the method is proven foolproof. For now, we do hope and pray there is a way to bring back the Northern White Rhino, by miraculously finding a Female Rhino who can procreate with Sudan's stored sperm and give birth to some healthy Rhino babies!

© Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Right now, the conservationists are figuring out if Najin or Fatu (the other two surviving female Northern White Rhino's) or even a surrogate Southern White Rhino (a much more common species) can be impregnated, using Sudan's unique sperm and his very classy and charismatic Tinder Profile!

RIP Sudan, may all your 'right' swipes find you in heaven, eventually!

Watch his Tinder Glory here: