Taxidermy of white rhino Sudan handed to National Museum

The taxidermy of Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino will be displayed at a central location accessible to all, the Kenya Wildlife Service has said.

The preserved animal skin and skeleton arrived in the country last Friday.

KWS said the skeleton has already been handed over to the National Museum for conservation, education and awareness to residents and the international community.

“It will be used to raise awareness of not only the plight of the northern white rhino but also of other endangered species,” a KWS statement reads.

The taxidermy, it stated, returned to Kenya through a donation agreement with the Zoo Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic.

Czech Republic Ambassador to Kenya Martin Klepteko and KWS Deputy Director -Parks and Reserve Samuel Tokore were present during the handing-over ceremony.

Sudan died at Ol Pejeta in March 2018 aged 45 while undergoing treatment for age-related complications.

The skin and the skeleton were transported to Czech Republic in 2019.

Sudan, according to the conservancy, escaped extinction in the 1970s when he was moved to Dvůr Králové Zoo and throughout his existence, significantly contributed to the survival of his species as he sired two females.

Sudan has left two female northern white rhinos—his daughter Najin and her granddaughter Fatu.

“He was a great ambassador for his species," Ol Pejeta CEO Richard Vigne said in 2018.

"He 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."