Last Male White Rhino Joins Tinder To Save His Species

Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, has taken to dating app Tinder in hopes of finding a mate and sustaining his species.

Last Male White Rhino Sudan Joins Tinder

The 43-year-old rhino is the last male of his subspecies, which has been hunted by poachers to near extinction. He currently dwells at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya, where he is accompanied by two female white rhinos, who are also the last of their kind. Despite repeated attempts to get Sudan to copulate with the two females, results have been unproductive.

“In human terms, [Sudan is] probably about 95 years old,” Ol Pejeta CEO Richard Vigne told NPR, “so he’s incapable of normal breeding.”

“We removed them from a zoo environment, which was not conducive to natural instincts, and put them in a semi-wild environment. There were a couple of matings, but it never resulted in a pregnancy,” Ol Pejeta’s marketing manager said.

Thus, conservationists are now resorting to extraordinary measures: in vitro fertility treatments.

In vitro fertility treatments are commonly done with humans, and other livestock like cattle, but it’s never been used with rhinos before. Thus, the endeavor will take an estimated $9 million to $10 million.

That’s where Tinder stepped in with a sponsorship. Sudan now has a Tinder profile that touts, “I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on me. I perform well under pressure. I like to eat grass and chill in the mud. No problems. 6 ft tall and 5,000 pounds if it matters.”

Beginning Tuesday, when users swipe right on Sudan’s brutally-honest profile, they will be directed to Ol Pejeta’s donation page. The profile appears on the app in 190 countries, and since its launch, the page has received so many hits that it crashed within hours.

This overflow of attention to his profile is definitely a good thing for Sudan, whose availability is very limited. 43 years is ancient for a rhino, and his keepers fear that he may die or be killed before they can raise enough money. Poachers sell white rhinos horns for $50,000 per kilo, making them more valuable than gold or cocaine.

Head over to the Ol Pejeta donation page to Sudan find his perfect match: like to eat grass and chill in the mud. No problems. 6 ft tall and 5,000 pounds if it matters.”