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Scientists have created hybrid embryos in the laboratory from the sperm of northern, almost extinct, white rhinos in the hope that they will eventually save the species.
The white rhino is the most endangered mammal in the world. The members are a mother and a daughter, who live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya
. However, scientists have managed to collect about 300ml of sperm from the last four rhinoceros, which they say is too large
They used some to fertilize in vitro eggs from the nearest relative – the Southern white rhino – by creating hybrid embryos.
They now plan to use the same techniques to create a "pure" northern white rhinoceros embryo with eggs harvested from both females. "In three years, we hope to have the first rhinoceros [northern white] born," said Thomas Hildebrandt of the German Leibniz Institute for Zoological and Wildlife Research, who co-directed the work. The results were published in Nature Communications on Wednesday.
Cesare Galli of the Italian animal-badisted reproduction firm Avantea, who worked with Hildebrandt, said that there was initially a strong opposition from some conservationists to "interfere in nature" by using IVF.
"Many people working in the conservation area are very against the use of biotechnology," he said.
Hildebrandt argued that the use of biotechnology was not abnormal and merely corrected a change. in the ecosystem created by the human hunting of rhinos.
"The northern white rhinoceros did not fail, he failed because he was not bulletproof. He was shot," he said. said.
"This has caused an imbalance in the ecosystem … and we have the tools in our hands to correct that." – Reuters
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