Sudan the rhino is dead. But his sperm could save the species | Helen Pilcher

With the death of the last male northern white rhino, conservationists must embrace the hi-tech methods that could save itOn Tuesday morning, I woke to the news that Sudan, the world's last male northern white rhino, had died. The 45-year-old animal was euthanised at his home in the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya. He was old and he was ill. His time had come. Although this is desperately sad, the stark reality is that his passing makes no difference to those who seek to save his kind.Despite a brief flirtation with Tinder last year, Sudan had been effectively dead from the waist down for years. His wobbly hind legs made it impossible for him to mount a female. His carers knew this, so veterinarians took the precaution of collecting and freezing away samples of his sperm, along with specimens from four other males who died before him; the hope is that these frozen semen samples can now be used to save the northern white rhino. Continue reading...