Alas poor Sudan

This is an etching of the  Northern white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum cottoni.

In 1919 there were 2-3 thousand of these magnificent creatures living in several countries in East and Central Africa south of the Sahara. When I bought the etching there were only 4 left; a 41 year old female named Nola in San Diego zoo and 3 others under armed guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

In November 2015 Nola was put down when she deteriorated  following surgery.

Yesterday, Sudan, the very last male northern white rhino, died at the age of 45 in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. His death leaves only two of the subspecies alive - his daughter and his granddaughter.

The species is facing imminent extinction due to the crazy demand for rhinoceros horn for use in traditional Asian medicine and for making high status dagger handles for filthy-rich men in the Middle East. How utterly sad is that?