Only six white rhinos are left in the world following the death of 34-year-old Suni at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Following the upsetting news, a spokesperson for the conservancy said: “Consequently the species now stands at the brink of complete extinction, a sorry testament to the greed of the human race.”
The rhino was not targeted by poachers, but the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Suni was the first white rhino to be born in captivity. He arrived into the world in a Czech zoo in 1980, but was moved to Kenya in an effort to save the species from extinction.
It was hoped that the animals would find it easier to breed in the natural surroundings of the national park in Africa.
Three rhinos remain in the same conservation project, half of the entire white rhino population in the world.
The spokesman for the project added that they had every hope that the species could survive.
They said: “We will continue to do what we can to work with the remaining three animals on Ol Pejeta in the hope that our efforts will one day result in the successful birth of a northern white rhino calf.”
White rhino numbers have been reduced dramatically due to gangs of poachers targeting the animals.
Ivory is then shipped to Asia where it is often valued higher than gold or silver.
For more information on how you can save white rhinos, please visit the WWF website.