The very last male northern white rhino has joined Tinder. Unlike many others who is on the dating application to have fun, the rhino, named Sudan, is making a last-ditch effort to save his species from extinction.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the campaign is called "The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World" and is a partnership between Kenyan wildlife group Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Tinder dating application.
"I don't mean to be too forward, but the fate of the species literally depends on me," Sudan the rhino's Tinder profile read. "I perform well under pressure."
The 43-year-old northern white rhino is certainly under a lot of pressure. Although there are still two existing female northern white rhinos in the world -- 17-year-old Satu and 27-year-old Najin -- the trio are unable to breed naturally. Northern white rhinos are classified as critically endangered species.
"The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World" campaign aims to raise $9 million to research and develop breeding methods like in-vitro fertilization that can potentially avoid the extinction of the northern white rhinos. Fertility treatments would include using Sudan's sperm to fertilize one of the two female rhinos' egg, then getting a surrogate southern white rhino, which is a more common species, according to a report from Reuters.
To reach this goal, the highly popular dating app Tinder hopes to help expose the plight of Sudan to its millions of users around the world. After all, research has shown that there are roughly 50 million active users of Tinder who spend an average of 90 minutes per day using the app.
Rhino poachers sell the horns of northern white rhinos for about $50,000 per kilo. While the last three northern white rhinos live in a protected conservancy, they're living on borrowed time as Sudan is very old and is constantly under threat from poachers.
"The plight that currently faces the northern white rhinos is a signal to the impact that humankind is having on many thousands of other species across the planet," the conservancy's chief executive officer Richard Vigne said. "Ultimately, the aim will be to reintroduce a viable population of northern white rhino back into the wild, which is where their true value will be realized."
So if you happen to come across Sudan's profile on Tinder, please swipe right. The action directs users to the Ol Pejeta donation page online.
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