Most of us have simmered in the ‘what would I do if I was the last person on Earth?’ thought experiment. While this might have served as a fun exercise to rabbit-hole yourself for a few minutes or hours, for the two female Northern White Rhinoceros left in the world, this represents the grim reality of the past few years now.
With just two females remaining — Najin and her daughter Fatu — the Northern White Rhino’s future remains precarious. Unable to reproduce naturally, the species faces imminent extinction. However, researchers have collected eggs from Fatu and frozen sperm from the last male, Sudan, creating a precious bank of genetic material that scientists had hoped to one day utilise to save the species.
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And now, in a groundbreaking win for science and conservation, researchers have achieved the world’s first in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) pregnancy in a rhinoceros. This milestone, while tragically cut short, offers a glimmer of hope for the critically endangered species teetering on the precipice of extinction.
The team successfully implanted a lab-created Southern White Rhino embryo into a surrogate mother of the same species. While the pregnancy ended after 70 days due to an unrelated bacterial infection, it marks a crucial step towards potentially reversing the Northern White Rhino’s grim fate.
The Southern White Rhino, as the name might give away, is a close cousin of its Northern counterpart and plays a pivotal role in this rescue mission. With a population of around 20,000, they offer a healthy pool of surrogates for the embryos of Northern White Rhinos.
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“We have a closely related recipient — so their internal map is nearly the same,” explains Professor Thomas Hildebrandt, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. This shared biology makes Southern White Rhinos the ideal surrogate mothers for the Northern White embryos.
Despite the tragedy of the first pregnancy’s loss, the team remains optimistic. “With this achievement, we are very confident that we will be able to create Northern White Rhinos in the same manner and that we will be able to save the species,” says Dr Susanne Holtze, a scientist with the involved team.
While the future of the Northern White Rhino remains uncertain, the first IVF pregnancy has ignited a spark of hope. With unwavering dedication and the power of science, we may yet witness the majestic beasts roam the African savannas once more.
NOTE – This article was originally published in weather and can be viewed here
Tags: #climate, #earth, #forest, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #IVF, #lifeline, #nature, #Pregnancy, #rhinos, #Sudan, #wildlife
