The White Rhino Species Is Dangerously Close To Extinction

Imagine being the only person left alive on the planet, with little or no hope of ever finding another familiar face. That is the fate that is store for the white rhinos. With the death of Angalifu, one of six white rhinos, on Sunday in the San Diego Zoo, the world now has only five remaining in good health.

Angalifu was 44 years old and in failing health. He is said to have died due to old age. However, not all of Angalifu's brethren have been so lucky in the past. In fact, the white rhino species is known to be a target for poaching. The horns of rhinos are known to fetch thousands of dollars in the blackmarket, making them very valuable and vulnerable to poachers.

Randy Reiches, curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo, said, "Angalifu's death is a tremendous loss to all of us. Not only because he was well beloved here at the Park but also because his death brings this wonderful species one step closer to extinction."

There are now, only five white rhinos in the world. One is a female, located at the Safari Park, another one is in a zoo in Europe, and the remaining three are in Africa. Although all five are being taken care of very well, the sad part is that not one of them can be left to make a home in the wild due to the threat of poaching.

Officials at the zoo have reported that they have extracted and stored semen and testicular tissues from the male rhino, with the hope that, technological advancements may some day aid in artificial reproduction and save the white rhino species, along with many others, from the terrifying fate of extinction.