It’s tough in the dating world if you’re six feet tall, 43 years old, and around 2,270 kilograms (5,000 pounds) with tufts of ear hair. But, like many, Sudan – the last male northern white rhino – just wants to find a mate.
"No seriously, I'm the last male white rhino on planet earth," his profile reads. "I don't mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on me. I perform well under pressure."
Err right, but what kind of dinner date companion would you be? "I like to eat grass and chill in the mud. No problems."
The campaign, dubbed "The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World", is placing Sudan on Tinder, with a swipe right taking users to a donation page. The campaign hopes to raise awareness and money for white rhino fertility treatments, as mating naturally has not gone well – his age has made the act too difficult.
Image via Imgur
If around $9 million is received, the researchers will try to use Sudan's sperm to fertilize an egg from 17-year-old Fatu or 27-year-old Najin – two of the last female northern white rhinos.
There is also the possibility of in vitro fertilization of a southern white rhino, of which there are thousands more. Of course, this would not result in a northern white rhino.
Yet there is another suggestion: Implant the fertilized embryo from Satu or Najin into that of a surrogate southern white rhino. That idea, however, is not confirmed as “consultations are ongoing amongst different reproductive technique experts on the way forward,” George Paul, deputy veterinarian at the conservancy where Sudan resides, said to CNN.
Sudan’s profile will be seen on Tinder in 190 countries and over 40 languages. He currently lives at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and is protected 24-hours a day by armed guards, due to poachers targeting rhinos like him for their horns.
"The plight that currently faces the northern white rhinos is a signal to the impact that humankind is having on many thousands of other species across the planet," said Richard Vigne, the conservancy's chief executive officer, in a statement. "Ultimately, the aim will be to reintroduce a viable population of northern white rhino back into the wild, which is where their true value will be realized."
If Sudan the rhino sounds like a match, swipe right and donate to the cause.
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