Six feet tall and 5,000 pounds? Sometimes even the most eligible bachelor needs the help of a dating app and social media.
Sudan, the last living male northern white rhinoceros, now has a Tinder profile, but this move is about matching with donors, not with potential mates. When users “swipe right” on Sudan’s profile, the app sends them to a fundraising page. The campaign has a goal of raising $9 million to fund one of the only remaining options left to save the subspecies: artificial insemination.
The dating app added the profile of the endangered animal to raise awareness for the new conservation effort. Through Tinder’s 50 million users, this campaign could reach 190 countries that cover almost 40 languages. To overcome obstacles, conservation organizations are finding creative ways to reach broad audiences.
At age 43, Sudan is no longer able to breed on his own naturally. With only two female northern white rhinos left, the artificial reproductive process required to save the species is a risky, expensive undertaking that is still in the early phases of development. The funds are crucial for continued research and advancements.
The northern white rhino is a subspecies of white rhino that once roamed in East and Central Africa, but has been listed as Critically Endangered since 1996 due to poaching.
While there were around 2,000 in Africa in1960, the three remaining northern white rhinos live on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy of central Kenya under constant armed watch.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
