Critically Endangered Northern White Rhino Dies, Only FOUR Left on the Planet

By: Betty Chu

A female Northern White Rhino named Nabiré died in a Czech Republic zoo, leaving only four of the critically endangered animals remaining on the planet. 

Photo: Wikimedia via The Dodo - Remember this report from December 2014 >> , when we were down to five?

According to zoo officials, the 31-year-old rhino could not be saved after suffering a ruptured cyst.

Nabiré was a bred at the Dvur Kralove Zoo where she was a beloved animal to all. She had not been able to conceive due to excessive ovarian cysts. But she does leave behind a healthy ovary for researchers to further study the species' reproductive system.

Poached for their horns made of keratin (you know, the same basic, non-magicalstuff in our own human hair, skin and nails), the rhino population has been decimated in our lifetime. According to HuffPo's report, there were about 2,000 Northern White Rhinos in 1960; 15 in 1984 ... And, now 4, in 2015.

One of the three remaining females of the species lives at the San Diego Zoo.  And, the remaining three Northern White Rhinos live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya -- including the only male left on Earth. He is protected 24/7 by armed guards.

From the Archives:
* World's Last Rhino of His Kind Comes When Called, Just Like a Dog
* Endangered Northern White Rhino Dies, Only FIVE Left on the Planet
* There Are Now Only 6 Northern White Rhinos Left On Earth