Saving A Species From Extinction: Southern White Rhino Calf Successfully Born Through Artificial Insemination

After the death of the last Sumatran Rhino in Malaysia, the species became extinct from the country and only 80 more are left on the entire planet. Other rhino species are endangered too - like the northern white rhino - and efforts are being made by authorities to increase their numbers through artificial insemination.

San Diego Zoo recently announced that a southern white rhino calf had been born at the Safari Park, through artificial insemination. The female calf was born on November 21 at the Safari Park¡¯s Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center, is healthy, nursing well and bonding with her 11-year-old mother, Amani.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

According to the zoo officials, the calf¡¯s birth is the second successful artificial insemination of a southern white rhino in North America.

Barbara Durrant, San Diego Zoo Global¡¯s Henshaw endowed director of reproductive sciences said, ¡°We are very pleased Amani did so well with the birth of her first calf, and she is being very attentive to her baby. The calf is up and walking, and nursing frequently, which are all good signs.¡±

Amani was inseminated in July 2018 and she carried her calf for 498 days. Before Amani, another rhino named Victoria, was inseminated last year in March and she gave birth to her calf, Edward, in July 2019. The two artificially inseminated births are a step toward the zoo¡¯s longer-term goal of recovering the northern white rhino, a distant relative of the southern white rhino and save the species from extinction.

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As of now, only two northern white rhinos exist on the planet and both are female.

Zoo officials will use stem cells and preserved northern white rhino cells, to birth a northern white rhino calf within 10-20 years. The officials plan to use zoo¡¯s southern white rhinos as surrogates for the northern white rhino embryos through artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization or an embryo transfer.

The wait is over! Amani gave birth to a healthy girl. This is the 2nd rhino born following hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination, and she's also the 100th southern white rhino born here. #EndExtinction pic.twitter.com/dRPr3LCYqM

¡ª San Diego Zoo Safari Park (@sdzsafaripark) November 26, 2019

If this plan succeeds, attempts could be made to save the critically endangered Sumatran and Javan rhinos using similar methods.

The unnamed calf and her mother Amani are currently in a private habitat and will be given time to bond and for the calf to be nursed properly.

A part of San Diego Zoo Global¡¯s press release reads,

The artificial insemination and successful birth of the rhino calf is not only a historic event for San Diego Zoo Global, but it represents a critical step in the organization¡¯s ongoing work to develop the scientific knowledge required to genetically recover the northern white rhino, a distant subspecies of the southern white rhino. Only two northern white rhinos currently remain on Earth and, unfortunately, both are female.San Diego Zoo Global has a history of expertise with rhino species. With the birth of this calf, there have now been 100 southern white rhinos born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in addition to births of 74 greater one-horned rhinos and 14 black rhinos at the Safari Park. The challenges associated with limited gene pools and severely reduced numbers facing Javan rhinos, Sumatran rhinos and northern white rhinos mean that some form of assisted reproduction may be their only hope for the future.

This is a step ahead to save various rhino species from extinction, and we're glad that science is being put to good use.