The end of the line for the Northern White Rhino

DEFTLEFTHAND · 20-03-2018 6:39pm #1

The last known living male has died at 45, leaving only two females of this breed of Rhino alive in the world.

Other breeds of Rhino such as the Western Black have also been declared extinct recently.

Is this all down to poaching or is there other factors at play?

pleas advice · 20-03-2018 6:41pm

Did they get a, emm, 'sample' before he snuffed it?

bee06 · 20-03-2018 6:42pm

pleas advice wrote: »

Did they get a, emm, 'sample' before he snuffed it?

Yeah, they did.

Ubbquittious · 20-03-2018 6:50pm

Bloody Chinese

Hector Bellend · 20-03-2018 6:54pm

Any chance of them turning lezzie?

ThinkProgress · 20-03-2018 6:56pm

Sure it's grand, they have a few of them in captivity... this was the last wild one left.

Besides, they kind of all look the same anyway... just grab one of the southern white Rhinos... nobody will know the difference. "Does it have a big horn on it's head? Yep! "Job's a good'un!" :P

pleas advice · 20-03-2018 6:56pm

Life, uh, finds a way

Guy:Incognito · 20-03-2018 6:57pm

He was a prick anyway.

titan18 · 20-03-2018 7:03pm

ThinkProgress wrote: »

Sure it's grand, they have a few of them in captivity... this was the last wild one left.

Besides, they kind of all look the same anyway... just grab one of the southern white Rhinos... nobody will know the difference. "Does it have a big horn on it's head? Yep! "Job's a good'un!" :P

No, all gone. Extinct in the wild about 10 years ago. As for why they're extinct, we're all the cause of that, although those fecking alternative medicine crowd need to take a bit more of the blame for it.

Alun · 20-03-2018 7:03pm

ThinkProgress wrote: »

Sure it's grand, they have a few of them in captivity... this was the last wild one left.

Errm, no they don't, not the Northern subspecies anyway.

ThinkProgress · 20-03-2018 7:12pm

Alun wrote: »

Errm, no they don't, not the Northern subspecies anyway.

They don't seem to like breeding too much... that could be a problem when it comes to the auld extinction thingy! :pac:

Pandas too... they've been trying to go extinct for years... but we won't let them!!

Rhinos kinda look a bit sad and depressed to me... maybe it's just their turn to go extinct?

jmayo · 20-03-2018 7:18pm

ThinkProgress wrote: »

They don't seem to like breeding too much... that could be a problem when it comes to the auld extinction thingy! :pac:

Pandas too... they've been trying to go extinct for years... but we won't let them!!

Rhinos kinda look a bit sad and depressed to me... maybe it's just their turn to go extinct?

Actually the giant panda has been downgraded, ore would that be promoted, from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the global list of species at risk of extinction.

Kinda sad and something we will see a lot more of, especially if we think of animals in the wild.

ThinkProgress · 20-03-2018 7:32pm

Humans are also extinct from the wild... quite sad when you sit back and think about it. We only exist in captivity! (despite being the smartest animal on the block)

pleas advice · 20-03-2018 8:30pm

I think there's a few populations of humans surviving in the wild, in Brazil and Paupa New Guinea anyway, as far as I know

andekwarhola · 20-03-2018 8:32pm

pleas advice wrote: »

I think there's a few populations of humans surviving in the wild, in Brazil and Paupa New Guinea anyway, as far as I know

Dundalk too.

pjohnson · 20-03-2018 8:33pm

pleas advice wrote: »

I think there's a few populations of humans surviving in the wild, in Brazil and Paupa New Guinea anyway, as far as I know

The Sentilese still kill anyone who comes too close.

backspin. · 20-03-2018 8:34pm

Stupid Chinese and their silly potions. And they aren't done yet. Elephant tusks, lion and tiger bones. Pretty much any of the majestic animals are under threat. So sad and so pointless.

wakka12 · 20-03-2018 8:48pm

Everyone likes to blame poachers but we, in the west, are probably much more to blame through the deforestation we cause by our massive demand for cheap resources from developing countries

razorblunt · 20-03-2018 10:27pm

wakka12 wrote: »

Everyone likes to blame poachers but we, in the west, are probably much more to blame through the deforestation we cause by our massive demand for cheap resources from developing countries

How has deforestation killed off this Rhino species?

Oasis1974 · 20-03-2018 10:36pm

razorblunt wrote: »

How has deforestation killed off this Rhino species?

We need to clear trees to build houses and apartments theirs a housing shortage unless you weren't aware?

facehugger99 · 20-03-2018 10:40pm

jmayo wrote: »

Actually the giant panda has been downgraded, ore would that be promoted, from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the global list of species at risk of extinction.

Apparently the main reason they were chosen by the WWF as their symbol was to save on printing costs as they were black and white.

vicwatson · 20-03-2018 10:40pm

Oasis1974 wrote: »

We need to clear trees to build houses and apartments theirs a housing shortage unless you weren't aware?

Don’t think rhinos are forest dwelling creatures

Donald Trump · 20-03-2018 10:52pm

pleas advice wrote: »

I think there's a few populations of humans surviving in the wild, in Brazil and Paupa New Guinea anyway, as far as I know

Don't forget about Leitrim!!

Edit: Ah ****e. Just noticed someone else had given the same point about Dundalk!

Bastard

Fr_Dougal · 20-03-2018 10:55pm

Donald Trump wrote: »

Don't forget about Leitrim!!

Edit: Ah ****e. Just noticed someone else had given the same point about Dundalk!

Bastard

Fake county!

zoe 3619 · 20-03-2018 11:21pm

Well,fair play to whoever gathered the 'sample'.Just spending a moment thinking about the logistics of that..
Apparantly the two females aren't fit for breeding from.Don't know if that's due to age,state of health or close relationship (one's his daughter,other is grand daughter)
Find this fairly heart breaking to be honest.Poor creature has been living for years with a team of armed guards around him to protect him from poachers.

nullzero · 20-03-2018 11:36pm

Blame Mr Burns; "see these white slippers they're albino, African endangered Rhino".

jaxxx · 20-03-2018 11:40pm

ThinkProgress wrote: »

Humans are also extinct from the wild... quite sad when you sit back and think about it. We only exist in captivity! (despite being the smartest animal on the block)

I wish we were extinct, period, let alone just in the wild..

nullzero · 21-03-2018 1:21am

jaxxx wrote: »

I wish we were extinct, period, let alone just in the wild..

The rest of us wish you were extinct.

pleas advice · 21-03-2018 4:00am

jaxxx wrote: »

I wish we were extinct, period, let alone just in the wild..

for some reason this tune entered my head after reading your post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QFj59PON4

Donald Trump · 21-03-2018 6:04am

zoe 3619 wrote: »

Well,fair play to whoever gathered the 'sample'.Just spending a moment thinking about the logistics of that..
Apparantly the two females aren't fit for breeding from.Don't know if that's due to age,state of health or close relationship (one's his daughter,other is grand daughter)
Find this fairly heart breaking to be honest.Poor creature has been living for years with a team of armed guards around him to protect him from poachers.

They just let themselves go and got fat.

Same as any other female with low competition. They stop making an effort.

SuperS54 · 21-03-2018 7:18am

ThinkProgress wrote: »

They don't seem to like breeding too much... that could be a problem when it comes to the auld extinction thingy!

There's stuff they could take for that, I hear the Chinese do a good line in powdered horns...for the horn

backspin. · 21-03-2018 10:42am

SuperS54 wrote: »

There's stuff they could take for that, I hear the Chinese do a good line in powdered horns...for the horn

And perhaps a little ivory trinket for the mantel piece. Chinese great bunch of lads. Love a bit of pointless extinction.

jmayo · 21-03-2018 11:46am

backspin. wrote: »

Stupid Chinese and their silly potions. And they aren't done yet. Elephant tusks, lion and tiger bones. Pretty much any of the majestic animals are under threat. So sad and so pointless.

If you ever want to have the crack with US customs officials use one of the border crossing into Alaska.
Once upon a time I got brought into a US border post on the Alaskan border and I got to play a guessing game with the some of the confiscated stuff that has been sent to them from the major airports and ports of the lower 48.
I was shown what I thought was an elephant tusk that some eejit tried to smuggle through San Fran airport in a suitcase but it turned out to be a Walrus tusk.
Another thing that looked like a snake skin turned out to be a leopard penis.

It was an eye opener as to how much stuff they do find and that is probably just a tiny portion of it.

facehugger99 wrote: »

Apparently the main reason they were chosen by the WWF as their symbol was to save on printing costs as they were black and white.

I thought it was because they looked cute.
Although they never show the males rubbing their ar**es up on bamboo trees to mark their territory.

A bit like they never showed the "cute" young elephant male trying to ride a poor rhino calf because he was so horny.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz · 21-03-2018 3:30pm

Has feminism gone too far?

The_Valeyard · 21-03-2018 3:32pm

Its a very sad story about the Rhino, and probably not the last we will hear about it

backspin. · 21-03-2018 3:38pm

Kimber Mysterious Newspaper wrote: »

Has feminism gone too far?

For the white rhino. Id say you are right..

razorblunt · 21-03-2018 4:35pm

I heard Michael Flatley is devastated, he needed one more to complete the set of horns in his gaff.

Sand · 21-03-2018 9:22pm

I'm unclear on why anyone cares. Animals go extinct every day. Its how evolution works. The weak who fail to reproduce perish, the strong who do inherit the earth. The world is still turning without the white rhino.

backspin. · 21-03-2018 10:00pm

Sand wrote: »

I'm unclear on why anyone cares. Animals go extinct every day. Its how evolution works. The weak who fail to reproduce perish, the strong who do inherit the earth. The world is still turning without the white rhino.

We are making the extinction rates abnormal. We are going to lose some majestic animals because we seem to think 10, 15, 20 billion people is sustainable. We need to cop the f**k on and protect some of the planets beauty. Or maybe it's more important to have 5 billion Chinese and 3 billion Africans and 4 billion Indians.

manonboard · 21-03-2018 10:16pm

Sand wrote: »

I'm unclear on why anyone cares. Animals go extinct every day. Its how evolution works. The weak who fail to reproduce perish, the strong who do inherit the earth. The world is still turning without the white rhino.

The rate of the extinctions in the last few decades, is extremely high. It's nothing like a 'natural' rate as seen in all of our previous history bar major extinction events.

Many people love animals being alive in the world. That is why we care.

Sand · 21-03-2018 11:30pm

manonboard wrote: »

The rate of the extinctions in the last few decades, is extremely high. It's nothing like a 'natural' rate as seen in all of our previous history bar major extinction events.

Many people love animals being alive in the world. That is why we care.

There will be other animals alive in the world, they just wont be the white rhino.

Firblog · 21-03-2018 11:38pm

Recently stopped donating money to Concern, redirected it to a wildlife charity.

Capt'n Midnight · 21-03-2018 11:52pm

vicwatson wrote: »

Don’t think rhinos are forest dwelling creatures

Mokèlé-mbèmbé is a rhino.

Elephants live in jungles so smaller animals would have it easier. Also the Congo forest , like the Sahara, expands and contracts with the climate specifically the rains.

HONKEY TONK · 22-03-2018 12:03am

Sand wrote: »

I'm unclear on why anyone cares. Animals go extinct every day. Its how evolution works. The weak who fail to reproduce perish, the strong who do inherit the earth. The world is still turning without the white rhino.

The world will still turn when the last bacteria disappears off this planet

It’s also not the strong who inherit the earth.

Capt'n Midnight · 22-03-2018 1:30am

backspin. wrote: »

Stupid Chinese and their silly potions. And they aren't done yet. Elephant tusks, lion and tiger bones. Pretty much any of the majestic animals are under threat. So sad and so pointless.

Pangolins

The end of the line for the Northern White Rhino

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