Rare White Rhino, Nesari, Dies In Czech Zoo

PRAGUE — A 39-year-old northern white rhinoceros has died at a Czech zoo, further reducing the world's dwindling population of the endangered animal, an official said Friday.

Nesari died in her sleep of old age May 26, Dvur Kralove zoo spokeswoman Jana Mysliveckova said. She called the death "an irretrievable loss."

The rhino was brought to the zoo in 1975 from Sudan. Nesari's death leaves the zoo with one remaining northern white rhino, 30-year-old Nabire.

In an attempt to save the species from extinction, the Czech zoo moved four of its northern white rhinos to a game park in Kenya in December 2009, hoping to be easier for them to breed there than in captivity.

Mysliveckova said few of these rhinos are now left: two at a zoo in San Diego while three or four who are believed to live in Sudan have not been seen since last year.

(This version corrects to 2009 from 2010 in 4th paragraph.)

Comments

[jhnnxn]

12:00 AM on 06/11/2011

They should do with rhinos what they do with elephants. By culling a few and selling their hides they raise the money necessary to equip and pay the rangers who protect them.

[jhnnxn]

11:46 PM on 06/10/2011

If you want Rhinos around a little longer figure out a way to make them taste good.

[Igor Purlantov]

09:52 PM on 06/06/2011

Sad news to hear. Hopefully Nesari had a good 39 years. Rhinos are amazing animals that have been around for millions of years. Unfortunately all five of the remaining species (White, Black, Sumatran, Indian, and Javan) are endangered and have seen their populations decline by around 90%. If you are ever around one when it starts to run it is almost as if the ground itself is shaking and moving. Truly an unforgettable experience from a truly remarkable animal.

[sawdustking]

01:54 AM on 06/04/2011

"...further reducing the world's dwindling population of the endangered animal..."

The white rhinoceros is not endangered. It is classified as "near threatened" and is the most common African rhinoceros. They typically don't live much past 40 so I doubt that this was a viable reproductive candidate.

[beneped]

01:51 AM on 06/05/2011

Absolutely not true.

[sawdustking]

10:42 PM on 06/05/2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rhinoceros

[Kair]

05:39 AM on 06/05/2011

what? there are 4800 white rhinos left, all in South Africa. 12 were killed between 2000 and 2007. In 2009, 200 were poached; in 2010 333 were killed; in 2011 338 have been killed BY MAY. So the figures are already at their 2010 levels and we have another 7 months in the year. More rhinos have been slaughtered every year and the population dwindles.

Gestation is 16 months (over a year); rearing a rhino calf takes 2 - 3 years - so that is the period between pregnancies. Poachers don't care if the rhino they kill has a suckling calf. Rhinos who have been de-horned still have to be guarded as poachers will come for the stump. They will use chain saws to get the portion of the stump that is inside the head.

Perhaps you should re-think the "not endangered" and only "near threatened". And remove "the most common" as it has been wiped out across Africa and now only is found in reserves in South Africa. And those that remain are losing 10 - 15% of their small population EVERY YEAR

[sawdustking]

10:45 PM on 06/05/2011

"As of 31 December 2007, there were an estimated 17,480 Southern White Rhino in the wild (IUCN 2008), making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rhinoceros

[jokerdano]

03:37 PM on 06/03/2011

One of these days man is going to kill off an animal or bug and it will become the undoing of human life. Like the honey bee.

[bad spelling grammar]

04:32 PM on 06/03/2011

its is already happening with the bees

[beneped]

01:13 PM on 06/03/2011

Fact: America big game hunters kill more of Africa's elephant and rhino than poachers.

[mlaiuppa]

03:50 AM on 06/04/2011

Citation please.

[beneped]

02:00 AM on 06/05/2011

Two thirds of lions and more than half of rhino killed in Africa are killed by American hunters...the organizations that have the numbers include IFAW, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, Born Free and Defenders of Wildlife and have recently approached the White House to try and stop the slaughter of the last of Africa's treasures.

[Kair]

05:43 AM on 06/05/2011

So Americans killed 333 rhinos last year? these rhinos were killed illicitly? they come in covert helicopters? they carry chainsaws? they shoot the rhino with a tranquilliser dart? they deliberately remove the stump all the way to the skull? they leave the animal to bleed to death?

all of these 333 rhinos were killed that way. I guess Americans no longer want to shoot, kill and have a stuffed head, but only want the horn as an aphrodisiac and mytical cancer cure? What Viagra not working for you anymore?

[gehrig1b]

12:56 PM on 06/03/2011

The official cause of death is complications due to steroid abuse. Nesari held the Czech National Baseball League home run record.

[laffstoday]

02:35 PM on 06/03/2011

Weird - but funny.

[n2zyk]

12:42 PM on 06/03/2011

No kidding? A rhino dies and it reduces the population? WOW , what a concept! Got news for you, you couldn't begin to countthe species that went extinct sine the beginning of time, and most of it wasn't due to man.

[hark]

12:54 PM on 06/03/2011

How about more news for us? Like what's your point? That you turned your spell-checker off? Or that you simply don't get it. You demonstrated both.

[bad spelling grammar]

04:42 PM on 06/03/2011

You really need to do some research before you make your claims about what is going on with rhinos. They are hunted for their horns which are used in Chinese medicine and are sold for a lot of money. Rhinos have little to no natural predators other than MAN with the possibility of a really really tough lion pride. Either way the #1 cause of all rhino deaths across the species is poaching but I don’t expect someone with such a narrow view like you to understand. You really should educate yourself instead of just sticking to your belief that animals have been going extinct on this plant since day one. That is true on a wide scale but when you have new variables like people in the equation, you have to consider their effects on the natural process of extinction and understand that people are accelerating that process tremendously. I have a feeling that you are the type of person that doesn’t believe in facts or science and just listen to what the little voices in your head tells you to think.

PS that little voice is not god talking to you, it’s your ego!

[YoureSoShain]

12:34 PM on 06/03/2011

Can't we clone these things?

[rocketdog56]

06:45 PM on 06/04/2011

Then what? their habitat is gone and they are being slaughtered for their horns, are you going to clone them to keep them in zoos? That's akin to life in prison for you, would you want that?

[YoureSoShain]

08:41 PM on 06/06/2011

Rather they continue to exist in some shape or form than not, if i had to decide between the two.

[Mel MacTanner]

12:33 PM on 06/03/2011

The conservative thought on this matter goes something like this; a species is monetized to extinction and it's a natural occurrence.

[n2zyk]

12:43 PM on 06/03/2011

Thats because it is.

[jhnnxn]

11:38 PM on 06/10/2011

That's 100% bs. The surest way to prevent a species from becoming extinct is to find a way to profit from it being alive.

[TheSecularist]

11:59 AM on 06/03/2011

Conservation, within reason, is a good thing. And moderation in use (e.g., not over fishing a species) is a good thing. However, all good things must come to an end. Species die out. Maybe it's just their time to go. Our obsession with ensuring the survival of every living creature silly. Some things should be preserved (rain forests, for example) and some should be allowed to go. Conservation in moderation is the best thing.

[GirlUsingBrain]

12:26 PM on 06/03/2011

While I understand you are attempting to be rational regarding extinction, which of course is a natural event ... in this case, it is NOT caused by natural circumstances. Rhinos, both black and white, as well as one horned rhinos in Asia, are becoming extinct because of man ... because of poaching and the illicit trade in rhino horns.

This is what needs to be addressed ... not how extinction is a natural occurence.

[n2zyk]

12:44 PM on 06/03/2011

Howmany colonies of ants, bugs and grbs where snuffed out by the building of your house?

[jhnnxn]

11:39 PM on 06/10/2011

How is man not a natural part of this world?

[Mel MacTanner]

12:29 PM on 06/03/2011

Interesting that you apparently have the magical information which allows you to determine which species are disposable. Could you please post your complete list?

[n2zyk]

12:45 PM on 06/03/2011

There isn't any speices thatt will get off this world alive. In the end, we all go extinct.

[jdollinter]

11:51 AM on 06/03/2011

It's sad The Republic Of Congo safety isn't doing more to protect their few remaining white Rhinos from poachers.

[blueplano]

12:42 PM on 06/03/2011

Nor are they doing anything to protect women from being r@ped.

[raventug123]

11:51 AM on 06/03/2011

Odd...Jack Kevorkian visited that rhino a few weeks ago. For more info see www.satireworld.com

[John Husted]

11:50 AM on 06/03/2011

Adapt or die

[hark]

12:59 PM on 06/03/2011

Exactly. All the middle class has to do is embrace the new normal of being below the poverty line and things will be fine.

[Eddy333]

11:38 AM on 06/03/2011

As long as Chinese people think the horns of these animals will make their pee-pee's hard, this will continue unabated. This is nothing more than pure, tragic human ignorance.

Very sad.

[Jonah Jameson]

11:58 AM on 06/03/2011

Very sad and true! They need to learn about something called viagra.

[n2zyk]

12:46 PM on 06/03/2011

So go over there and teach them how stupid they are. Why you crying the blues to us here?