KWS embarks on final push to save Northern White Rhinos through IVF

Scientists plan to implant embryos into the two remaining northern white rhinos (NWR) in Laikipia's Ol Pejeta Conservancy to save the species in the country from extinction.

Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) said that following the 2018 death of the last male NWR in Sudan, Assisted Reproduction Technique (ART) will be used to impregnate the two.

The two remaining Kenyan female NWRs, Najin and her daughter Fatu, are hosted at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya.

In a statement, KWS said it will collaborate with international partners in BioRescue to bring back NWR from the brink of extinction.

"The intricate ART process involves harvesting oocytes (eggs) from Najin and Fatu and airlifting the oocytes to the Avantea laboratory in Cremona, Italy, within a critical 24-hour window for maturation into ova and fertilisation of the ova using cryopreserved sperm from deceased NWR males to form embryos that will later be transferred to surrogate SWRs to establish a pregnancy," the agency stated.

The embryo transfer technique, initially trialled using Southern White Rhino (SWR) embryos, has proven successful, and the proof of concept has been affirmed with confirmations of pregnancy, clearing the path for NWR embryo transfers.

The BioRescue project, the last hope for the functionally extinct subspecies, has created pure NWR embryos that are safely cryopreserved, awaiting future transfer.

Prof Erustus Kanga, KWS Director General, noted that "After years of meticulous research and perfecting our methods, we are now at the critical stage of getting a pregnancy using northern white rhino embryos."

We have already achieved a proof of concept by successfully creating a pregnancy in a surrogate using a Southern White Rhino embryo, so we know the system works. Now, the world watches with bated breath. Every step, from the collection of oocytes in Kenya to their fertilisation in Italy and their return for implantation, is executed with military precision by a dedicated team of experts," the DG said

"This mission is of paramount importance. As the custodians of the last two northern white rhinos on the planet, Kenya has a great responsibility not to the Kenyan people, but to the global community," said Kanga.

The DG added that the BioRescue project, which was embarked on in 2019, is a testament to what can be achieved through international collaboration. 

"For KWS, seeing this project succeed will be a historic milestone, reaffirming our commitment to innovative conservation solutions," he said.

The BioRescue program represents an unprecedented global collaboration to save a species," states the KWS statement. 

The journey began in earnest in 2019, building on decades of conservation efforts, including the 2009 transfer of the last four fertile NWRs from Zoo Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. 

With the passing of the last two males, Sudan and Suni, hope now rests entirely on science and the two remaining females, Najin and her daughter Fatu.

The consortium is optimistic that a Northern White Rhino pregnancy could be announced sooner rather than later, marking an unprecedented victory for global conservation efforts.