▲蘇丹是世界上最後一隻公北非白犀牛。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）
寵物小組／綜合報導
全球最後一隻雄性北非白犀牛蘇丹(Sudan)因健康因素被安樂死，享年45歲。攝影師Garth De Bruno Austin在IG上發文哀悼，代替全人類向蘇丹道歉，「抱歉我們讓你失望了，也對不起讓子孫們再也無法看到這美麗的動物。」
肯亞佩杰塔野生動物保護區(Ol Pejeta Conservancy)稍早發布消息指出，「世界上最後一隻公白犀牛蘇丹於2018年3月19日死亡。」蘇丹過世後，全球僅剩2隻雌北白犀，分別是28歲的納金(Najin)與牠17歲的女兒法圖(Fatu)。
事實上，蘇丹去年底時右腿傷口遭到感染，經治療後逐漸痊癒，但後來又開始惡化，加上45歲高齡早已超出北白犀平均年齡，健康狀況一直不是很理想。當時，佩杰塔野生動物保護區就難過表示，「牠在犀牛中太老了，我們不希望牠承受不必要的苦痛。」
蘇丹離世消息傳出後，攝影師Garth De Bruno Austin貼出一張蘇丹和保育員的合照，並哀傷寫道，「我們想代表人類向你說聲抱歉。抱歉我們沒有早一點為了保育白犀牛而奮戰，抱歉我們以為多的是時間，抱歉我們讓你失望了，也抱歉讓子孫再無法看到這美麗動物漫步在非洲大草原。」
▲法圖是現在僅存的2隻北非白犀牛之一。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）
除了北白犀，所有種類的犀牛其實都受到盜獵威脅，不肖商人獵殺動物，只為了取得身上的犀牛角，再前往中國、越南等地販售。根據英國保護慈善機構「拯救犀牛」(Save the Rhino)數據顯示，過去10多年，有超過7245隻非洲犀牛遭到獵殺。
世界野生動物基金會中，負責非洲野生動物保護工作的巴斯（Bas Huijbregts）提到，北白犀的棲息地包括剛果、南蘇丹與中非共和國，這裡常發生戰亂、缺乏管理，牠們生活在最不穩定的地區裡。
目前，各界正在探索各種措施來保護北白犀，聖地牙哥的「冷凍動物園」就擁有該物種的精液，有望利用體外人工受精的方式來復育北白犀。然而，巴斯提到，停止獵殺，才是真正的關鍵行為。
It is with great sadness that Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Dvůr Králové Zoo announce that Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, age 45, died at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19th, 2018 (yesterday). Sudan was being treated for age-related complications that led to degenerative changes in muscles and bones combined with extensive skin wounds. His condition worsened significantly in the last 24 hours; he was unable to stand up and was suffering a great deal. The veterinary team from the Dvůr Králové Zoo, Ol Pejeta and Kenya Wildlife Service made the decision to euthanize him. Sudan will be remembered for his unusually memorable life. In the 1970s, he escaped extinction of his kind in the wild when he was moved to Dvůr Králové Zoo. Throughout his existence, he significantly contributed to survival of his species as he sired two females. Additionally, his genetic material was collected yesterday and provides a hope for future attempts at reproduction of northern white rhinos through advanced cellular technologies. During his final years, Sudan came back to Africa and stole the heart of many with his dignity and strength. “We on Ol Pejeta are all saddened by Sudan’s death. He was a great ambassador for his species and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity. One day, his demise will hopefully be seen as a seminal moment for conservationists world wide,” said Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta’s CEO. Unfortunately, Sudan’s death leaves just two female northern white rhinos on the planet; his daughter Najin and her daughter Fatu, who remain at Ol Pejeta. The only hope for the preservation of this subspecies now lies in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques using eggs from the two remaining females, stored northern white rhino semen from males and surrogate southern white rhino females. #SudanForever #RememberingSudan #Only2Left #MeAndSudan #NorthernWhiteRhinos #ExtinctionIsReal #OlPejetaRhinos #TheLoneBachelorGone #WorthMoreAlive
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya（@olpejeta）分享的貼文 於 張貼
RIP – A Message To Sudan Just like we know that our time in this world is limited, we knew that your days on earth would also come to an end. Still, when the message came through to say you were here no more, it was still somehow a surprise. We saw you only last month, sleeping in the shade, hiding away from the harsh midday sun. It was obvious that your time was coming to an end and even with the best medical attention, it showed us that no one can outrun death, not even being the last male of your kind. On behalf of humanity, we want to say sorry; Sorry for not fighting for your kind sooner, Sorry for thinking we had more time, Sorry we let you down and by that, sorry to the future generations of this planet who won’t be able to see your magnificent specie roaming Africa once again. @garthdbaustin #disunitythefilm #olpejeta #sudan #only2left
Garth De Bruno Austin（@garthdbaustin）分享的貼文 於 張貼
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