After the tragic loss of the last of the male Northern White Rhinos in the world, Sudan, on the 18th of March 2018 due to age-related complications [he was 45 years old], scientists this week shared the news announced in a press release by their partners – the Dvůr Králové Zoo and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) – that the first ever hybrid rhino embryo has been successfully created by Avantea, their associates and world leaders in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) for large animals in Italy.
With only 2 members left worldwide, the northern white rhino is functionally extinct. However, technology may offer humans a way to undo the tremendous damage inflicted on this subspecies. The 1st ever hybrid rhino embryo has been successfully.
#NorthernWhiteRhino #HopeRenenwed pic.twitter.com/PXS2jkQDKm— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) July 5, 2018
What this means
This is a huge breakthrough for the regeneration of the northern white rhinos. Using a southern white rhino egg and northern white rhino sperm, scientists at Avantea developed a valid embryo that has a strong chance of surviving to term.
This means they have the technology and experience to replicate the procedure with pure northern white rhino genetics.
The loss of Sudan struck a terrible blow for the species, who were then functionally extinct. Thanks to the continued dedication from scientists, conservationists and philanthropists across the world however, the miracle of their renaissance may now actually become a reality.
What’s next?
The scientists at Avantea hope to be able to soon welcome the scientists to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where they will perform the ovum pick up (OPU) – harvesting eggs from Fatu and Najin. Once they have the eggs, they can begin the process of bringing a species back from the very brink of extinction.
“This research is groundbreaking. We are witnessing the development of a method that can help to compensate the negative impact of humans on nature. We are very thankful for all donations received from private people supporting our race against time. We hope that the current achievement will help us to convince more people as well as public authorities that this new approach is feasible and worth supporting,” Steven Seet, Head of Press & Communications at the Leibniz – IZW.
But, are we too late?
In the meantime, the team at Ol Pejeta say they carry on taking the best possible care of Fatu and Najin and the herd of southern whites specifically selected to one day, hopefully, become surrogates for northern white rhinos. But does this mean resurrection of the species? Maybe not.
Are new technologies, such as the creation of these hybrid rhino embryos, distracting us from on-the-ground conservation and dealing with the root causes of endangerment?
What more do we need to do to save these habitats and halt poaching? What more do we need to do to ensure another Sudan incident doesn’t happen?
