This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
On September 11, 2019, the world was left with a glimmer of hope for the survival of the northern white rhino after an Italian laboratory announced the creation of two embryos for the endangered species.
The breakthrough came after a decade-long race against time, with scientists using frozen male sperms from the deceased male northern white rhinos in Kenya and eggs from the last two remaining females.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), the embryos were created at Avantea Laboratories in Cremona, Italy, and are now stored in liquid nitrogen, awaiting transfer into a surrogate mother.
Kenya's Ministry of Tourism Najib Balala expressed his government's commitment to facilitating the pioneering process, saying, 'The Kenyan government is greatly encouraged by breaking of new ground in the assisted reproduction technique and remains committed to facilitating the pioneering process all the way.'
Prof. Cesare Galli, the Italian scientist behind the breakthrough, explained the process of creating the embryos, saying, 'We brought ten oocytes back from Kenya, five from each female. After incubation seven matured and were suitable for fertilisation (four from Fatu and three from Najin)'. He added that the eggs were injected with sperm from males Suni and Saut using a procedure called ICSI (Intra Cytoplasm Sperm Injection).
The creation of the embryos marks a significant step towards saving the northern white rhino from extinction, with the species being considered functionally extinct due to the lack of male rhinos.
