Google Doodle Pays Tribute to Iconic Rhino Who Died in Kenya

Google on Sunday published a Doodle on its homepage to celebrate Sudan, the world's last living male northern white rhino who died in Kenya two years ago.

His death left only two females, his daughter named Najin, and granddaughter Fatu, of the subspecies alive on earth.

“Sudan will live to be remembered as the last male northern white rhino of his kind. Today as we celebrate him, may we strive to protect the environment and wildlife which is the foundation of all civilisation,” said Dorothy Ooko, Google’s Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Africa.

In the 1970s, Sudan escaped extinction of his kind in the wild when he was taken to Czech Republic’s Dvůr Králové Zoo and later to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

The northern white rhino was declared extinct in the wild in 2008 following the global environment campaign by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

As a result, Sudan was put under 24-hour armed surveillance at Ol Pejeta Conservancy for 10 years before he passed away on March 19th, 2018 at the age of 45.

At the time of his demise, Sudan's age was the equivalent of 90 in human years and was long past his breeding age.

He was one of only three living northern white rhinoceroses in the world, and the last known male of his subspecies.

Google uses Doodles—designed by one of its engineers in 1999—to honor people who have died, events, anniversaries, and holidays.