"I think science can bring back this beautiful creature" We may need some luck, but I think what we can already show is quite impressive. "
The Professor Hildebrandt and his colleagues have shown for the first time that artificial reproduction techniques can be used successfully to create rhinoceros embryos, they report in Nature Communications
. They also proved their ability to generate embryonic stem cells, which could potentially produce more eggs and sperm
Artificial breeding techniques have never been tried before in rhinos, said co-author of the study Marilyn Renfree
"This is the first time this species is used because it is very large and has a particular shape. According to Professor Renfree of the University of Melbourne
the white rhinoceros is the largest of all species of rhinoceros
There are two subspecies: northern white rhino almost extinct, and their cousins Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
Southern White Rhinoceros will play surrogate mothers in embryos created by artificial reproductive techniques. Wikimedia commons: zigomar)
The southern white rhinoceros will play surrogate mothers on the embryos created by artificial reproductive techniques
Wikimedia commons: zigomar
They collected southern white rhinoceros eggs and combined them with frozen spermatozoa previously collected from northern white males and stored in sperm banks.
Frozen sperm was a little slow at first. able to successfully produce early stage embryos known as blastocysts.
The team also used eggs and sperm from
Three of the early-stage embryos – two hybrids and one pure – were cryofrozen.
The team plans to implant embryos in the females of the southern white rhinoceros to see if surrogate mothers can
"We have many of these high-quality embryos," says Professor Hildebrandt
The quest to create a baby white rhinoceros
While this phase of the work aims to create hybrids. The goal of this project is to create a white calf pure white rhino
To do this, the team plans to harvest eggs from the last two females – the daughter of Souman Najin and his granddaughter Fatu, who live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia National Park in Kenya
Fatu and Najin graze in the Ol Pejeta Reserve in Laikipia National Park in Kenya
(Reuters: Baz Ratner)
Fatu and Najin graze a The Ol Pejeta Conservatory in Laikipia National Park in Kenya
"Before collecting the [eggs] … we need a proof of concept that the transfer of Embryos with hybrid embryos work, "says Professor Hildebrandt
. He said at this point that Najin and Fatu would have viable eggs, he said.
"No one has an idea of how they look in. The youngest female is 18, the oldest is 26, so we're running out of time."
If the team can produce a pure white calf, they could use stem cell technology, used in this article to produce a line of white rhinoceros eggs from embryonic stem cells.
"We need one or two white rhinoceros female calves from the North, so I think we were all leaving, "said Professor Hildebrandt, the work still had a long way to go, but it was a proof
"This is an amazing result," she said.
"I do not know if that will ever save the northern white. rhinoceros … but it's certainly a big step in the right direction. "
Should we bring animals back from near-extinction?
Although powerful, they use artificial technologies to save species the white rhino is controversial.
Conservation biologist Guy Castley's Environmental Futures Research Institute The Griffith University applauded the work of the team.
"They have made great strides in advancing knowledge about artificial reproductive technologies and the Using IVF to save the genetic material of an endangered species "But, he said, it does not address more general issues such as poaching and loss from habitat that led to the disappearance of the species in the first place.
have managed to secure these rhinos, they can end up with a life kept in captivity because it does not exist. there is simply no room for them in their area "
It would also take time to build viable livestock," said Dr. Castley, who has worked with the southern white rhinoceros in the past.
"It would take several female surrogates and several [embryos] to be able to generate an insurance population," he said. rhinos should be at an age when they could breed, so you are 10 years old. "
With only two white northern females alive and the sperm of four males available, genetic diversity was raised as another problem."
But Professor Hildebrandt He's optimistic about boosting the genetic gene pool by using stem cell technology to create eggs from frozen skin cells of 12 northern white rhinos stored in cell banks around the world
The technique, inspired by the work of the 2012 Nobel laureates, has been proven to work with mice by Japanese scientist Katsuhiko Hayashi, another member of the team.
"The southern white rhino was almost extinct at the beginning of the 20th century, there were less than 50 individuals and now we have more than 20,000," Profes Sor Hildebrandt says, "And their genetic variation is less than what we have with these 12 samples. "
The ultimate effort could save other species
Professor Renfree said it was better not to have any biological diversity Animals at all
"There have been many, many, many attempts to save rhinos by conventional conservation methods and they have all failed," she said.
"This is the last possible step to save those guys."
The technology and techniques developed by the team could also be used to help prevent the extinction of others large animals and related species such as the Sumatran rhinoceros.
It is estimated that there are less than 100 Sumatran rhinoceroses left in the wild.
(Wikimedia Commons: 26Isabella)
It is estimated that there are less than 100 Sumatran rhinoceros in the wild.
Wikimedia Commons: 26Isabella
"If you really want to succeed, you start doing it much earlier than the last animals."
Dr. Castley agreed. "
" I would not like not see another species disappear, "he said," We have not been able to take control of the situation and read the signs fast enough to do anything for the northern white rhino. " .. but we could still do something for other endangered species
the progression and development of new technologies that can help these efforts, then we should use it, "he said .
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