Kenya Moves Closer To Saving Northern White Rhino From Extinction

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), in partnership with the international BioRescue consortium, is entering a critical phase in a bold scientific mission to save the northern white rhino (NWR) from extinction.

After the death of the last male NWR, Sudan, in 2018, only two females—Najin and her daughter Fatu—remain. Both are housed at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. The current hope lies in advanced Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART), which scientists believe could bring new life to the nearly extinct species.

The process involves collecting eggs from Najin and Fatu, then flying them to a lab in Cremona, Italy, within 24 hours for fertilization.

The lab uses frozen sperm from deceased NWR males to create embryos. These embryos will later be implanted into surrogate southern white rhino (SWR) females to carry the pregnancy.

Scientists have already proven this method works using SWR embryos, and successful pregnancies have been confirmed. This breakthrough now opens the way for implantation of NWR embryos.

Professor Erustus Kanga, the Director General of KWS, said the team is optimistic. “After years of careful research and improving our methods, we are now at the crucial stage of trying to achieve a pregnancy using northern white rhino embryos,” he said.

He added, “This is not just a Kenyan mission; it’s a global one. With the last two northern white rhinos living in Kenya, we carry a huge responsibility to protect and restore the species for the entire world.”

The BioRescue project started in 2019 and is the last hope for the NWR. So far, several pure NWR embryos have been successfully created and are safely frozen for future use.

The project builds on years of conservation efforts, including the relocation of the last four fertile NWRs from the Czech Republic to Kenya in 2009. With the death of the two last males, Sudan and Suni, science now carries the hopes of reviving the species.

The consortium is hopeful that a confirmed northern white rhino pregnancy could be announced soon.