News

(Video) Five Lab-Produced Embryos Could Save White Rhinos From Extinction

White Rhinos are on the brink of extinction, especially when the last male white rhino died almost three years ago. Unfortunately, neither of the two last white rhinos, a mother and daughter called Najin and Fatu, can carry a calf in full term. However, scientists started producing embryos in 2019 from the eggs of two females and the frozen sperm from a deceased male white rhino.

Scientists announced this year that they have successfully produced two more embryos, making the total number to five embryos. The team plans to implant the embryos into a surrogate mother this March in hopes of bringing back the white rhinos from the brink of extinction.

Picture: Google

According to a report, the plans of the BioRescue team were hampered last year by the coronavirus pandemic when countries have implemented travel ban restrictions, which delayed some key procedures of the project. BioRescue leader Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany said, “2020 was really a hard test for all of us, but giving up is not the mentality of any true scientist”. But last Christmas, they received a timely present when they produced two embryos.

The news outlet reported that the five embryos are now kept inside the liquid nitrogen in a laboratory in Cremona, in the Lombardy region of Italy before they could transfer it into a surrogate mother. Moreover, the team hopes to deliver the first northern white rhino calf in three years and hopefully produce a wider population in the next two decades.

Hildebrandt said that they are under time constraints to save the white rhino population. He added, “We are under a time constraint because we want really a transfer of the social knowledge from the last existing northern white rhinos to a calf”.

Sources: DailyMail, Reuters.

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

From Cookies to Classrooms: Starbucks Raises Over RM100K to Revive Centre for the Deaf

What if your sweet tooth could change lives? Since 2018, Starbucks Malaysia has raised over… Read More

1 day ago

Tous les Jours Expands in Malaysia with New Outlets at Sunway Pyramid and Sunway Velocity

Malaysian fans of delectable K-inspired baked goods will be delighted to hear that Tous Les… Read More

2 days ago

Stitch Lands in KL, Disney’s Blue Menace Takes Over Pavilion This School Holiday

Get ready for a school holiday filled with tropical vibes as Pavilion Kuala Lumpur transforms… Read More

2 days ago

Malaysia Gears Up for Southeast Asia’s First Smart City Expo, Here’s Why You Should Care

Kuala Lumpur just flipped the switch on something big. The 100-day countdown to Smart City… Read More

2 days ago

Ejen Ali: The Movie Review, A Next-Level Win for Malaysian Animation

Ejen Ali: The Movie 2 isn’t just a sequel, it’s a bold upgrade that proves… Read More

2 days ago

When Creativity Meets Comfort: LEGO® and IKEA Malaysia Reimagine Home Decor

When Creativity Meets Comfort: LEGO® and IKEA Malaysia Reimagine Home Decor With its latest collection… Read More

3 days ago

This website uses cookies.