Written By Vanessa Kariuki ||
Peninah Malonza, Kenya’s CS for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage, oversaw today’s formal transfer of the Sudan’s taxidermy to the National Museum of Kenya.
Sudan, the only male Northern White Rhino (NWR), passed away on March 18, 2018.
In order to ensure that he continues to serve as an ambassador for the species even after his passing, his taxidermy will be on display in a place that will be easily accessible to Kenyans and the wider community.
“While Sudan’s taxidermy is some prized wildlife memorabilia, it also serves as a constant reminder to the Government and partners that supporting the conservation of our key species remains at the top of our mandate,” said the Malonza.
Only two female Northern White Rhinos, Najin and Fatu, are left in existence to represent the species’ last chance.
The Northern White Rhino assisted reproduction project for the recovery of the species based at the Ol Pejeta being undertaken in collaboration with KWS, Leibniz-IZW, AvanteaLaboratory, Osaka University, and WRTI Kenya has made great milestones.
12 ovum pick up missions have been done since 2019 with 24 NWR embryos created.
The embryos are currently being stored in a lab in anticipation of the embryo transfer technology’s optimization in naturally occurring Southern White surrogates, whose success would be unprecedented.
