White Rhino on the brink of extinction

[Regulator75]

Sadly, only 4 animals exist, 3 females and one male.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33704172

Nabire, a 31-year-old female, died at the Dvur Kralove zoo in the Czech Republic on Monday evening of a ruptured cyst.

Her death leaves just three females and one male alive; one of them at the San Diego Zoo and three at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy reserve in Kenya.
The sub-species has been on the brink of extinction for years because of hunting and habitat loss.

"The pathological cyst inside the body of Nabire was huge. There was no way to treat it," said Jiří Hrubý, a rhino curator at the zoo.

[codynw]

Rumour is that Walter Palmer is currently trying to acquire a permit to kill the remaining four.

[CroFlames]

I think when it's the near extinction is caused by humans, humans should do something about it.

The BBC article isn't exactly clear. Is IVF totally not possible to save the species unless they cross it with a Southern Rhino?

[undercoverbrother]

This is sad.

I haven't seen a white Rhino, but saw lots of black rhinos when on safari in South Africa.

Amazing animals.

[psyang]

Originally Posted by codynw

Rumour is that Walter Palmer is currently trying to acquire a permit to kill the remaining four.

No, he's learned to respect the species. He only wants to kill one, the male.

[Muffins]

Time to call in the expert to solve this problem, and the good news is he's worked with rhinos before!

[Tyler]

Where's Walter Palmer when you need him?

[Coach]

So sad that we're doing this to animals we don't even eat or need anything from.

[sureLoss]

It is amazing some of the technology that is coming out to save Rhinos.

They are putting cameras with gps triggered by heart rate monitors into the horns of Rhinos.



When the animal is distressed, it alerts authorities of potential poaching activity and where it is happening, also hopefully the camera identifies the poachers.



Also a biotech company is developing 3d printed rhino horns that are genetically similar to actual horns.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/biote...nos-150624.htm

The hope is to flood the markets for rhino horns and help drive down the price to a point where poaching is no longer a financially attractive endeavor.

[Nyah]

Powdered horn is used in traditional Asian medicine as a supposed cure for a range of illnesses – from hangovers to fevers and even cancer. The recent surge has been primarily driven by the demand for horn by upper-middle class citizens in Vietnam. As well as its use in medicine, rhino horn is bought and consumed purely as a symbol of wealth.

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/enda...te_rhinoceros/

Absolutely infuriating.

[Erick Estrada]

Why do the Chinese want the horns so bad? Is this a religious thing? I hate seeing animals become extinct because of trophy hunters and losers that feel they need horns, heads, etc as some sort of decorative trophy.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Why do the Chinese want the horns so bad? Is this a religious thing? I hate seeing animals become extinct because of trophy hunters and losers that feel they need horns, heads, etc as some sort of decorative trophy.

They want their unit to be long and strong...

[Jacks]

If there are only 4 left you'd think they would keep them together.

[Coach]

If they're all in captivity, could they just take semen from the male and inseminate the females to make some more, and over and over again?

[TheyCallMeBruce]

The chinese want everything. They're #######s like that.

[Property Manager DB]

Little bit of pressure on the 1 male...

[Bownesian]

Man, I could go for a rhino burger right now.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Jacks

If there are only 4 left you'd think they would keep them together.

They should round them up and put them into some sort of Rhino Thunderdome. Force all 4 Rhinos to fight to the death.

4 Rhinos enter, only one shall exit. And then be promptly shot by that crazy dentist.

Now that would generate a ton of money.

[Property Manager DB]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

It is amazing some of the technology that is coming out to save Rhinos.

They are putting cameras with gps triggered by heart rate monitors into the horns of Rhinos.

When the animal is distressed, it alerts authorities of potential poaching activity and where it is happening, also hopefully the camera identifies the poachers.

Pretty cool technology but very sad that it has come this far to have to use this kind of thing.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by MattyC

If they're all in captivity, could they just take semen from the male and inseminate the females to make some more, and over and over again?

What do you do after that though? A bunch of rhinos with the same genetic father mating with each other wouldn't turn out well. White rhinos are effectively extinct already since there is no way to get any kind of genetic diversity to ensure health of the species