TODAY is World Rhino Day, a day aimed at raising awareness for the plight of the world’s most threatened species. But nothing truly highlights the precarious state of this species more than Sudan, the loneliest rhinoceros on Earth.

At 42-years-old, Sudan is the only living male Northern White Rhino left in the entire world. With an average life expectancy of 40, Sudan’s clock is ticking, and the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya is doing everything in their power to save the Northern White Rhino. Sudan was moved to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a 90,000-acre conservancy in Central Kenya in 2009 in an attempt to save the species. At 42 years old, Sudan is no spring chicken, but has the fate of an entire species on his shoulders. He occupies at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy with two female Northern White Rhinos, Fatu, 15 and Najin, 25. For his own protection, Sudan has had his horn removed to lessen the threat of poaching, and will live out the rest of his days under the 24-hour surveillance of four armed guards. Well-funded, deadly and equipped with the newest tech such as drones, it is no easy task to prevent determined poachers. Sudan is now seen as the everlasting image of the illegal wildlife trade that is now one of the largest international organised crimes in the world. Ol Pejeta conservancy is undertaking a Northern White Rhino breeding project as part of a global effort, The breeding project is now working on an In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) via a surrogate of a Southern White Rhino. The only way now to ensure the survival of the Northern White Rhino subspecies is to raise funds to support these assisted reproduction methods. While this does not come without risks (and significant costs) — all other options have been exhausted and time is running out. Visitors to Ol Pejeta Conservancy have the opportunity to support Sudan, Najin and Fatu, as well as the endangered black rhinos and southern white rhinos.

Originally published asThis is the last White Rhino on the planet