Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, Czech Radio
The remains of Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, which had been on display at the National Museum in Prague, are due to be shipped to Kenya this week. The taxidermy, created by the National Museum’s conservationists, will be displayed in Kenya as a symbol of the fight for nature protection. I discussed the fate of the famous animal with conservationist Jan Stejskal from Dvůr Králové Zoo, which has been spearheading international efforts to save the breed from extinction:
“The animal was born in south Sudan, probably in 1973. We don’t know the exact date, because he was caught in the wild. He was caught in early 1975 by a team led by former Dvůr Králové director Josef Vágner. That same year, Sudan and five other northern white rhinos arrived in Dvůr Králové and my colleagues started the breeding programme.
“Sudan sired two females in our zoo. One of them was Nabire, who lived all her life in our zoo. The other one, Najin, is now in Ol Pejeta in Kenya and she is one of the last two females of the Northern White Rhino known to the world.”
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Author: Ruth Fraňková