There are now only three northern white rhinoceroses on the planet after San Diego Zoo Safari Park was forced to put down its only rhino, Nola, ill with a bacterial infection. “We’re absolutely devastated by this loss, but resolved to fight even harder to #EndExtinction,” the park wrote in a Facebook post. “Let this be a warning of what is happening to wildlife everywhere.” Nola was 41. The park is asking people to share memories of Nola with the hashtag #Nola4Ever.
The northern white rhino is now officially the world’s most endangered animal. While there are around 29,000 rhinos of varying breeds in the wild, they are under constant threat from poachers, mostly due to demand for the rhino’s horn, which is frequently used in Asian medicine. The last three northern white rhinos live under 24-hour armed guard in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
