Twelve months after the ground breaking first "ovum pickup" in August 2019 and eight months after the second, the team repeated the procedure with northern white rhinos Najin and Fatu on August 18, 2020, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Thanks to the tremendous commitment shown by all involved, we now have the chance to save this animal from the threat of extinction."
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We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from the Kenyan government as partners in our efforts to save the northern white rhino. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research supports this rhino conservation work through the funding it provides for the BioRescue project, which is part of the Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity. The northern white rhinoceros has become a symbol for our joint efforts to fight the loss of biological diversity. But it is increasingly threatened by the destruction of natural habitats, environmental pollution and climate change. Germany's Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek: "Biodiversity forms the foundation of our very existence. Najib Balala, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife. This project should galvanise the world's attention to the plight of endangered species and make us avoid actions that undermine law enforcement and fuel demand for the rhino horn," says Hon.
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"The progress made so far in the northern white rhino assisted reproduction project is very encouraging, and we look forward to the transfer of the already developed embryos into southern white rhino surrogate females here at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Preparations for the next steps in the programme - the generation and transfer of embryos - are underway, ensuring that everything is done to make the best possible progress to save the northern white rhino from the brink of extinction. With great support from the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the team from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and Czech Safari Park Dvur Králové overcame substantial challenges to perform this important procedure in such critical times. view moreĬredit: Rio/Ol Pejeta Conservancy/BioRescueĪfter a hiatus of a few months owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the international team of scientists and conservationists continued its ambitious programme to save the northern white rhino from extinction: On Augthey harvested ten eggs from the last remaining two individuals, Najin and Fatu, in the third-ever ovum pickup procedure in northern white rhinos, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.