Does the Northern White Rhino Need to be Saved?
Out of the Woods; A Battle to Protect Kakamega Forest
26th May 2017
Thoughts on World Environment Day
5th June 2017
“I’m one of a kind. No, seriously, I’m the last male Northern White Rhino on the planet earth. I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on us getting together.” This is the profile of Sudan’s account on Tinder.
The Northern White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies of the white rhinoceros, is believed to be extinct in the wild and only three captive individuals remain in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The three remaining individuals at the Conservancy are Sudan, a 44-year-old male, and two females, Fatu and Najin (Fatu’s mother), all unable to breed.
The range for the Northern White Rhino was Uganda, South Sudan, The Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1960, there were 2000 individuals roaming freely in the wild. In the 1980s, the Northern White Rhino became critically endangered. In 2010, no Northern White Rhinos were in the wild. In a span of almost 60 years, we have reduced this population to three.
The rhino species is facing extinction all because of poaching for their horns. Through a partnership with Ol Pejeta Conservancy and Tinder, a fundraising campaign was recently launched in an effort to recover the species. ‘The funds raised will go towards ongoing research into Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) by a consortium of institutions. Once perfected, this technology, in particular In -Vitro Fertilization (IVF), will aid to achieve successful pregnancies to gradually build up a viable herd of northern white rhinos.’ The Southern White Rhino (Diceros bicornis) will be the surrogate for the embryos. $9 Million dollars is the ultimate goal for total raised funds.
Is this a worthwhile cause?
The earth has lost more than half of the world’s wildlife. More than 21000 species are critically endangered and over 800 species are already extinct, from the West African Black Rhino, 2 subspecies of tigers, to more than 50 species of birds among many others, of which some are unknown according to the IUCN’s Redlist.
Extinction is a naturally occurring process. However, it has increased in intensity mainly through human-caused activities.
Despite all this, some species have escaped extinction and have resulted in conservation success stories. These stories happen all the time, though not well highlighted, and are shining a light on global wildlife conservation efforts.
In the United States of America, the use of the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) through the 1970s and 1980s almost exterminated the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population. There was only one known nesting pair. After the ban of the pesticide and conservation-restoration efforts, 23 nesting pairs were counted in 2000 and 82 pairs in 2010. Now there are more than 161 nesting pairs according to the Bald Eagle 2015 Report.
The Southern white rhino was thought to be extinct in 1885. However, a population of 50 individuals was discovered in a remote part of South Africa. Now, there are more than 20,000 of this species of rhinos making it the most common species of rhinos.
In the 1930s, a British ship got shipwrecked near Lord Howe Island in Australia and black rats accidentally escaped. A mass extinction followed where endemic birds and insects got extinct. The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis) was considered extinct for 80 years. In 2001, scientists set off to climb Ball’s Pyramid, 20 km from the Island, and halfway up, they found a single bush with 24 surviving Lord Howe Island Stick Insect. Two pairs were taken to Australia to breed and now they number in their thousands. (Information Source)
Other conservation success stories include the West Indian Manatee, Black-footed minks, Mauritius Kestrel, Espanola Giant Tortoise, and Chatham Island Robin among others.
Everyone has the capacity to influence the outcome of our path. We can slow down biodiversity loss in this lifetime. For conservationists, environmentalists, activists, and people who generally care about the earth, this is an exciting yet challenging period to be alive; where, especially in Africa, development has become the norm but the number of those concerned about biodiversity is on the rise.
See Also: Conservation and Environmentalism: Is There a Difference?
If this initiative for the Northern white rhino succeeds, it will be the first time for scientists to carry out artificial reproduction in rhinos.
However, not everyone agrees with this initiative. A large sum of funds is being raised to support the initiative that could instead be used in other important conservation projects.
IVF in rhinos is very complex. It is not likely that the methods required for it to work will be available before the last northern white rhino dies. In the last 15 years, fewer, than 10 rhino births through artificial insemination have succeeded. Through IVF, only two embryos have been created successfully where one grew to two cells and the other three. Research has a long way to go before successful IVF in rhino is achieved.
Using the Southern White Rhino as a surrogate will be very challenging. Rhinos are very special animals and each species has its own unique physiology. IVF works when it is able to imitate the uterine environment of the animal. So, having a northern white rhino embryo in a Southern White Rhino embryo may prove futile.
In Kenya, there are numerous conservation challenges that need the funds being raised more than the Northern White Rhino. These include combatting poaching which has become expensive due to an increase in demand, increased education and awareness, forest restoration, and research into other species that require more and immediate attention.
What we can learn from the imminent extinction of the Northern White Rhino is; for species on the critically endangered list, and through a number of conservation success stories, we should not let a species go below 20 individuals before we decide to restore them. Habitats for all these species should also be secured and their in-situ breeding properly managed.
IVF may be a breakthrough in science and may result in saving other endangered species like the kouprey (Bos sauveli) from Cambodia other than the Northern White Rhino.
Information sources.
