Sudan is the only male of his species left on Earth, making him solely responsible for siring offspring to add to the number of northern white rhinos on the planet. The problem is, he's already 42 years old.

The male northern rhino spent 35 years of his life in captivity, captured when he was just a year old and shipped to the Czech Republic to live in the Dvůr Králové. He only moved to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya in 2009 to participate in the "Last Chance To Survive" breeding program with another male and two females. However, the other male northern rhino, Suni, passed away before the breeding program could produce desired results.

Time is now ticking for Sudan and the rest of the northern white rhinos. There are five of them left now, but as he's the only male, it is up to him whether their species lives or dies out.

There have been previous attempts to mate with the females Najin and Fatu, aged 25 and 15 years old, respectively, but these have failed. The reasons go back to Sudan's age.

At 42 years old, he's a senior. He has problems with his back legs, and this has made mounting a female almost impossible. Even if Sudan miraculously musters enough strength to do the deed, his sperm quality is no longer at its best.

Northern white rhinos have been mostly wiped out because of poachers hunting them down for their horns. For his protection, Sudan is surrounded by armed guards 24/7.

The situation he's in sounds extremely dire but, according to staff in Ol Pejeta, he's still a regular sweetheart who likes belly rubs and ear scratches. Animals can still be unpredictable, despite being familiar with people around them, so keepers still have to be careful around Sudan.

Richard Vigne, CEO for Ol Pejeta Conservancy, said that the reality is that Sudan is going to die soon due to his age. However, he believes that there might still be hope for the northern white rhinos, thanks to technological advancements.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there were over 2,000 northern white rhinos in 1960. Fifty-five years later, they are down to five.

The breeding program for northern white rhinos costs $1 million to $4 million, so Ol Pejeta is urging everyone to support the conservancy's cause by contributing to its fund-raising campaign.

Photo: Jeffrey Keeton | Flickr

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