Behaviour changes, not science, should be key

Earlier this week we were greeted with the sad news of the death of Sudan, the last remaining male northern white rhino who was euthanased at the age of 45. Two females of this distinct subspecies still remain, both relatives of Sudan, and although there is the remote possibility of preserving the species through IVF, it seems likely that the northern white rhino is to be added to the too long list of animals that have faced extinction at the hands of man's disregard for nature. The northern white rhino has, in fact, been considered extinct in the wild by the WWF since 2008 — Sudan had been kept in a zoo in the Czech Republic until 2009 and moved to Kenya in the hope that the more natural environment would encourage breeding. Unfortunately this was not the case; attempts were also made to mate the two females with the southern white rhino without success. Rhino worldwide are under pressure, and the black rhino, Javan rhino and Sumatran rhino are all critically endangered.