The last male Northern White Rhino, Sudan, has sadly passed after suffering from age-related health issues for several weeks. A sweeping sadness hit the conservation community, media, and the world. He leaves behind only two females of the sub-species, effectively making extinction a certainty.

However, the sub-species was essentially extinct years before and the calls to donate to wildlife conservatory organizations promoting the idea that this rhino can avoid extinction through in-vitro fertilization of the two remaining females using Sudan's sperm is ridiculous.

The two remaining female Northern White Rhinos are Sudan's daughter and granddaughter. The sub-species has experienced such an extreme bottleneck effect (decrease in genetic variability in a species) that it cannot survive long-term. Even if in-vitro fertilization worked, then there are risks for the mother and the fetus. Reproducing with close relatives increase the chances of genetic disorders.

We have to realize the Northern White Rhino is extinct, cannot be saved, and understand that this could have been predicted decades before. The number of Northern White Rhinoceroses did not just suddenly drop to three overnight. This was the effect of years of steady decline, while people turned a blind eye and did not care.

The Northern White Rhino was hunted for sport and poached for their horns. Their ivory is extremely valuable on the black market and in some cultures, it is believed ivory possesses medicinal benefits, which is false.

It should not be a surprise these majestic and beautiful creatures are extinct today. Sudan was a rallying figure and acted as a mascot for conservationists around the world, but the focus needs to be turned toward other endangered species such as the Black Rhinoceros, which only has an estimated 5,000 individuals left throughout central Africa. We need to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct before they are too late to save. If we come to this realization, then we can save millions of species.

Sudan will be remembered for years to come and his story of survival will not be forgotten, but it is necessary to move on and accept that we seriously messed up; we killed an entire species and this is not the first time.

The Northern White Rhino is extinct and it is near impossible to prevent the death of this sub-species with only two females left. Now, we have to place conservation efforts into saving other amazing species such as the African Elephants, various lemurs, all of species of Rhinoceroses, and many other endangered species.