If you are on Tinder killing time swiping left and right, and come across the profile of a rhino, don’t be surprised. It isn’t a prank, because Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino has indeed joined the dating app, and for a monumental task--to save his species.
“I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of the species literally depends on me. "I perform well under pressure… 6ft (183cm) tall and 5,000lb (2,268kg) if it matters,” says the rhino’s profile, who goes by the name of Sudan.
The campaign called "The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World," is a joint venture between a Kenyan wildlife conservancy, Ol Pejeta and the dating app.
The campaign, part of a decade-long programme to save Sudan’s species, seeks to raise funds for research into breeding methods, including IVF.
The 43-year-old and his last two female companions are unable to breed naturally because of issues that include old age, reports The Telegraph, UK.
The target is an ambitious $9 million, to which Tinder users have a chance of donating when they come upon Sudan’s profile.
Speaking to Associated Press, Matt David, head of communications and marketing at Tinder, said, “We are optimistic, given Sudan’s profile will be seen on Tinder in 190 countries and over 40 languages.”
Richard Vigne, head of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, told BBC that IVF has never been done for rhinos before. So, Sudan could very well be the one who ends up saving the species and also becomes the first rhino to have an offspring through IVF.
Conservationists are now considering in vitro fertilisation using sperms saved from a rhino that died last year, but the technology for carrying out the risky process, whose success is not guaranteed, is yet to be developed, reports the Daily Nation.
Northern white rhinos have been native to wild central Africa but their survival is in peril now, due to excessive poaching of the animals for their horns.