Sudan, a 45-year-old northern white rhino and the last male of his species, died after being euthanized at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Because of Sudan’s death, there are only two northern whites left in the world: Sudan’s daughter, Najin, and his granddaughter, Fatu.

There was hope that Sudan would breed to deter the extinction of northern whites when he was moved to Kenya in response to the warmer climate, but Sudan was well past his breeding age and was suffering painful degenerative changes in his muscles and bones. Both Najin and Fatu are incapable of sustaining a pregnancy, so the subspecies has been declared "functionally extinct.” However, scientists have saved some of Sudan’s genetic material and are hoping to use it in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to keep the subspecies afloat. Scientists aim to use the IVF pregnancy in a closely related subspecies: the southern white rhino. Although, IVF is a highly-specialized process that is delicate and expensive: expected to cost millions of dollars.

According to CNN, even if scientists are unsuccessful in keeping the subspecies alive, they believe that Sudan’s death leaves an important legacy. One that highlights that other species need the world’s attention and that this could be a “wake-up call” for society. Other species have gone extinct much like the western black rhino that was declared extinct seven years ago. Stated by Discovery, 99 percent of the Earth’s species are extinct, and of that, approximately 40,000 species are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) red list. Sudan, in his final years, became a global celebrity and conservation icon while also helping raise awareness about the brutality of poaching. The northern white rhino had fans across the globe and received a multitude of donations for conservation efforts. He is a symbol for endangered species by being a representative of extinction.

Sudan showed the world how vulnerable and endangered rhinos are. His situation stimulated government action and awareness-building campaigns that are committed to safeguarding the remaining rhino populations from poaching and habitat loss. The American Wildlife Foundation honors Sudan today through donations for conservationism and protecting wildlife species all over the world.