The sanctuary said they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Sudan (not pictured) will respond well to veterinary treatment.

Forty-five-year-old Sudan suffering from bedsores

The world’s last male Northern white rhino has shown signs of recovery, days after keepers announced that his future was 'not looking bright'.

Forty-five-year-old Sudan resides at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he has been ‘walking around and taking a delicious mud bath’. Keepers say that he is now resting again and will continue to be monitored by vets.

Sudan lives with the last two surviving female rhinos, however attempts to mate them have been futile. For many years, he has been an inspirational figure for thousands across the world and has helped to raise awareness for rhino conservation.

Speaking to BBC News, Ol Pejeta’s Elodie Sampere said that Sudan has been suffering from bedsores due to a lack of mobility, one of which has become infected.

"We are treating his wounds twice a day to avoid the risk of infection and they're getting better," she said. "The sores are being made worse because he lies down too much."

Sudan and his companions first arrived at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009 and are kept under 24-hour armed guard to protect them from poachers.

Last Thursday (1 March), the sanctuary announced that Sudan was ‘starting to show signs of ailing’ and that his future was ‘not looking bright’. He had only recently recovered from a similar infection which developed at the end of 2017.

The sanctuary tweeted to say that they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that he will respond well to veterinary treatment. 

Image (C) Michael Dalton-Smith