The devastation of green forest and wildlife, whether it happens in Cambodia or other parts of the world, is often a controversial topic on social media platforms.
On a similar note, social media was abuzz recently, after a photo of a rhino laying on the ground alongside a claim that mentioned the Northern White Rhinoceros is already extinct from the earth. Let’s find out the facts behind this claim.
Social Media Claim
On June 4, 2021, a Facebook page posted an image showing a rhino laying on the ground. The Facebook user also claimed that a species of Northern White Rhinoceros is now extinct from the earth after the world’s last male northern white rhino has died, attempts to restore this species by reproduction had failed. The social media user also ran this claim as “breaking news” – implying this death of the rhino happened recently.
This post had been almost 900 times shared by Khmer-speaking social media users along with thousand reactions and many comments, expressing their regret for the devastation.
A capture of the claim in Khmer language is translated in English: “Sad News. Now the northern white rhinoceros is already extinct from our earth. Note: with the death of the world’s last male norther white rhinoceros, our human being also failed to recreate artificial reproductive with the world’s two remaining female white rhinoceroses.”
In a comment responding to curious Facebook users about the authenticity of the post, the Facebook page provided a link to an English post made by Facebook page called Social Junkie on June 3.
The claim on the Facebook page said the northern white rhinoceros is already extinct from the planet after the species existence for the last 55 million years on the planet, seeing innumerable changes.
This claim has been widely shared by hundred thousand of social media users around the world. A capture from the Facebook post reads as below
“The end of an era…
The northern white rhino which survived 55 million years and saw ice ages, earthquakes, meteor strikes, and was testament to innumerable historical changes on the planet could not survive humans.
The great beast is now functionally extinct.
We as a species can achieve the greatest things but also be a truly evil pest to nature…”
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia started investigating this claim by running Google Reverse Image search and reviewing previous reports by reliable media outlets.
The death of the world’s last male northern white rhinoceros was reported by The Guardian more than three years ago. The U.K.-based media organization reported that the male rhinoceros whose name is Sudan, 45 years old, was euthanized on March 19, 2018 at Ol Pejeta Conservancy – a wildlife sanctuary in northern Kenya.
It was put down after the pain from illness, leaving behind only two reported female northern white rhinoceroses in the world, Najin and her daughter Fatu – a daughter and a granddaughter of Sudan, according to the Guardian’s report.
The world’s last male northern white rhinoceros was named “Sudan” after his home country Sudan – where he was born in 1973. Here is an image published on Getty Images of the male northern white rhinoceros Sudan from 2015
However, the image of the rhino mentioned in the social media claims is not Sudan, it is Najin (daughter of Sudan) who was resting while being comforted by a zoo keeper, according to a Xinhua’s report published in May 2019 with the photo dates back to March 30, 2018.
Below is the image comparison of the actual photo of the last reported northern male white rhinoceros Sudan and that of Najin (daughter of Sudan)
With the loss of Sudan in 2018, the northern white rhinoceros species was deemed functionally extinct. Earlier in 2008, IUCN named the species to be possibly extinct in the wild and has categorized as critically endangered.
However, but scientists still hope to revive the species by creating artificial reproductive methods using the sperm left by Sudan on Najin & Fatu.
In its press release on April 29, 2021, Ol Pejeta Conservancy – a wildlife sanctuary operated by Fauna and Flora International – expressed a further development as scientists and conservationists created four embryos in hope to rescue the species from extinction.
The organization said the rescue mission was to harvest immature egg cells from the two females and artificially inseminate these using frozen sperm from deceased males in order to create viable northern white rhino embryos since 2019.
The latest development was called “the most successful of series of procedures” toward the preventing extinction of the northern white rhino.
Ol Pejeta’s Press Release | Archived Link
However, the time is running out for this majestic creature and below is a video on the latest developments.
Fact Crescendo Cambodia hopes to monitor developments of this story in coming months and hope to update the progress made by the scientists in this regard as well.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the world’s last male Northern While Rhino, named “Sudan” did not die in early June 2021. In fact, Sudan was euthanized in March 2018 due to his illness and was indeed the last reported male species of Northern White Rhinoceros, and the species has been deemed functionally extinct.
However, the image of the rhino in the social media claims is not Sudan, but it is Najin, the daughter of Sudan. Najin and her daughter Fatu are the only reported remaining Northern White Rhinos.
While the time may be running out to revive the Northern White Rhino species from fully extinction, scientists are hopeful of artificial reproductive procedures (IVF) by inseminating frozen sperm from deceased Sudan on Najin and Fatu
IUCN named the species to be possibly extinct in the wild and has categorized as critically endangered.
Title:Fact-Check: Is there any hope for reviewing Northern White Rhinoceros from extinction? Find out the facts..
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: Explainer
