IVF breakthrough ignites hope for northern white rhinos
Biorescue Scientific Consortium has achieved groundbreaking success by conducting the first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) on a southern white rhino, a development that brings hope for the endangered northern white rhino which is technically extinct, unable to reproduce naturally. The successful impregnation marks a significant milestone in reproductive science for rhinos, scientists in Berlin announced on Wednesday. Let us learn more.
After 13 attempts
The Biorescue team started their work with southern white rhinos, overcoming challenges such as egg collection from the massive animals and creating the first-ever rhino embryos in a lab. After 13 attempts, the team achieved the first viable IVF pregnancy. The subsequent phase involves replicating this process with the embryos of the northern white rhinos, a closely related species of the southern white rhino.
Facing extinction
Once distributed across central Africa, northern white rhinos faced extinction due to illegal poaching driven by the demand for rhino horns. Presently, only two individuals, both females named Najin and her daughter Fatu, survive under stringent security at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Given their inability to reproduce, the species is considered technically extinct. However, the Biorescue team is striving to save them.
A longer process
Researchers see this reproductive program as the last hope for the survival of the northern white rhino. The team aims to produce northern white rhino calves within the next two to two-and-a-half years, or even longer. The success in southern white rhino IVF could potentially serve as a model for other endangered rhino species, such as the Sumatran rhino in Southeast Asia.
Beacon of hope
Rhinos, having roamed the planet for 26 million years, faced a drastic decline in numbers due to poaching since the 1970s. This technological breakthrough offers a beacon of hope for the conservation of these majestic animals. The researchers are committed to using available techniques to try and save the northern white rhino, acknowledging its critical role in the ecosystem.
