- Title: Artificial fertilization breeds hope for endangered northern white rhino
- Date: 26th August 2019
- Summary: NANYUKI, KENYA (MARCH 20, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NORTHERN WHITE RHINOS NAJIN AND FATU GRAZING AT OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY AS RANGERS LOOK ON SOUTHERN WHITE FEMALE RHINO NAMED TAUWO GRAZING NAJIN, FATU AND TAUWO GRAZING NANYUKI, KENYA (JUNE 18, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE LAST MALE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO, SUDAN GRAZING SILHOUETTE OF SUDAN
- Embargoed: 9th September 2019 12:53
- Keywords: Kenya endangered northern white rhino artificial fertilisation Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
- Location: NANYUKI, KENYA/BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: NANYUKI, KENYA/BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA003ATUVHHJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Seven eggs from the world's last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday (August 26).
The world's last male northern white rhinoceros, a 45-year-old named Sudan, died last year in Kenya, leaving only the two surviving female members of the species. Najin and Fatu are Sudan's daughter and grand-daughter and the three animals lived together at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, about 250 km (155 miles) north of Nairobi, where Sudan died.
The sperm used in the process has harvested from two bulls of the same species and kept frozen. The scientists said in a statement they had harvested 10 eggs from Najin and Fatu and that seven of those had been successfully matured and artificially inseminated on Sunday. The team of scientists is led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. The eggs will now be transferred to surrogate southern white rhinos, who it's hoped will produce healthy northern white rhino calves.
Kenya had 20,000 rhinos in the 1970s, but years of rampant poaching has reduced that to around 650, almost all of them black rhinos.
(Production: Edwin Waita/Elias Biryabarema/Hywel Davies) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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