Tinder is a wonderful thing, sometimes. Whether you’re swiping right for sexual and romantic interests, self-gratification, or just shits and giggles, the app provides a near-endless stream of faces for you to swipe left and right on with reckless abandon. Some of you, however, might have stopped when you noticed a rhino on your profile. No, this isn’t someone putting a rhino as their photo in the same way people put cars, dogs, or other people in their main photo in an attempt to fool you – no, this is a real, goddamn white rhinoceros on Tinder. Of course, he’s looking for other rhinos, so, what makes said Rhino join a human “social” app? (We know what you use it for.)
Sudan, 43, is the last remaining male northern white rhino on the planet. Whilst he lives with two female northern white rhinos, they’re finding it incredibly difficult to breed – Sudan’s sperm count is incredibly low due to his age, and the two females, Najin, 25, and Fatu, 15, are finding it difficult to breed. The three of them currently live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in Kenya, under 24-hour armed surveillance, due to the fear of poachers and the damage that repeated civil wars have done to the country and animal population. After attempting to relocate rhinos to Australia, hiring snipers to defend these animals against poachers and attacking international crime networks, it seems that taking to the internet might be the only way to save the northern white rhino.
So to attempt to change this, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy partnered with Tinder in late April in order to raise awareness of Sudan’s plight. See, if you swipe right on Sudan, he’ll explain the situation and direct you to a campaigns page. This campaign aims to raise a significant amount of money - $9million, to be precise – to work on creating pioneering reproductive technologies in order to save the white rhino species. The aim would hopefully be to create in-vitro fertilisation equipment for the northern white rhino, using Sudan as a father and Najin, Fatu, and potentially, 17,000 other female southern white rhinos, as mothers. This would hopefully allow for an expansion of the species and a reintroduction of the northern white rhino into the wild, rather than their current position under armed guard.
Next time you’re swiping for “social” reasons, perhaps consider giving Sudan a shot? He’s supposed to be “the most eligible bachelor” on the planet, with armed bodyguards and a starring role in many documentaries. You never know – might end up saving a species whilst you’re at it.
