How many northern white rhinos remain in the world?
There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world. They are located in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy. They are a mother-and-daughter duo named Najin and Fatu. They cannot breed naturally because there are no male white rhinos left to mate with.
They spend their days sleeping and eating grass. Armed guards protect them from poachers. Scientists believe the animal will go extinct soon. But, for the past seven years, an international team of experts has been working to save the species from extinction.
How are scientists trying to save white rhinos?
The BioRescue project plans on creating ‘test-tube rhinos’ using advanced scientific techniques. The project's purpose is to save the species from extinction. The population of northern white rhinos declined due to poaching and habitat damage.
Sudan, the last male white rhino, died in 2018. Just two female rhinos alone cannot reproduce and create new babies.
Scientists will use in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to revive this species' population. IVF uses science to help people or animals have children. Through IVF, a baby is grown outside the mother’s body in a lab. Then, the baby embryo is put inside the body of another healthy female until it is ready to be born.
When is the first baby white rhino expected?
The IVF procedure is carried out in a laboratory in Italy. This method produced 24 northern white rhino embryos. These embryos were successfully frozen and will be implanted into surrogate southern white rhinos.
Later this year, the scientists will go to Kenya to implant one of their embryos into one of the surrogates. Rhino pregnancies last about 18 months. The first baby could be born as early as 2024. Hopefully, the white rhino population will increase again soon.
What did we learn from this article?
We learned how science might be used for good. Human actions have led to the extinction of many species throughout history. So, efforts are being made to protect and conserve endangered species. Let’s hope these projects become successful.
