World's Last Male Northern White Rhino Severely Ill

Washington D.C., Mar 03: Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino on the planet, has raised alarms after developing 'age-related' infections lately.

The sub-species is on the verge of extinction following the health complications that the 45-year-old rhino has developed, reported CNN.

Residing at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya with the only other living Northern White Rhinos, two females namely Fatu and Najin, Sudan made headlines worldwide when, in an effort to raise funds for the conservation of the sub-species, dating app Tinder named him the 'most eligible bachelor in the world'.

An age-related infection was detected on its right hind leg last year, which was gauged and treated in January, following which it resumed normal movement, as told by Ol Pejeta. A secondary infection was developed beneath the initial one and has left the rhino unresponsive to treatment.

"We don't think he will last for much longer," said Elodie A. Sampere, a spokeswoman at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. "Euthanasia will be explored if we feel he is suffering too much and won't recover. We do not want him to suffer unnecessarily. Right now he is still feeding and walking around, albeit very little," added Sampere. Poaching has been singled out as the primary cause for the dwindling number of 'exotic' animals in the world, including rhinos.

Beliefs that rhino horns have the ability to cure numerous ailments, added with the fact that their horns, according to experts, are costlier than many drugs, poachers have long targeted rhinos around the world for their lucrative horns. This has prompted authorities to protect the last remaining hope for the survival of the sub-species from poachers by deploying the rhino under the watch of armed guards at all times.

With just the three Northern White rhinos left, experts are looking at other methods for reproduction, including in-vitro fertilization, wherein an egg is combined with a sperm outside the body, in vitro (in glass).