Researchers say a rhinoceros was impregnated through embryo transfer using in vitro fertilization in the first successful use of a method that they say might later make it possible to save the nearly extinct northern white rhino subspecies.
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00:00 [BIRDS CHIRPING]
00:03 [WIND BLOWING]
00:06 [WIND BLOWING]
00:10 [WIND BLOWING]
00:37 Now we have the clear evidence that an embryo, which
00:41 is frozen salt produced in a test tube,
00:44 can produce new life.
00:47 And that is what we want for the northern white rhinos.
00:50 [BIRDS CHIRPING]
00:54 [RHINO SCREECHING]
01:04 [INAUDIBLE]
01:07 We assess the reproductive health of each individual
01:24 so that we can have a better idea how the outcome
01:28 of our intervention will be.
01:30 So it is a very complex program.
01:32 And we are very, very happy that we have now
01:36 achieved this milestone.
01:37 Before, it was oocyte collection in the rhinoceros itself.
01:42 Because it is a very challenging procedure
01:44 to harvest oocytes from a two-ton individual.
01:48 Then the next step, which we achieved,
01:50 was producing out of these oocytes in a test tube
01:54 the first embryos.
01:55 And now we can show, even if the embryos are frozen and kept
01:59 in liquid nitrogen for several years,
02:02 we saw them and say they are capable to produce new life.
02:05 [RHINO SCREECHING]
02:09 The baby will be raised milk-wise by lactation
02:12 from the southern white rhino.
02:14 But it will spend most of the time
02:16 with the northern white rhino.
02:18 So to learn how to be a northern white rhino,
02:20 because that is a really important element
02:23 of surviving in the landscape of Central Africa.
02:27 Because a southern white rhino lives
02:29 in the savanna, which is a completely different habitat
02:32 than what the northern white rhinos actually do.
02:35 The last northern white rhino, you have to remember,
02:41 was born in 2000.
02:42 That was the last little baby which hit the ground
02:45 from this subspecies.
02:47 So we had a gap of more than 20 years.
02:51 But with this new technology, we see
02:54 that we have a really fair chance
02:55 to achieve the first pregnancy of this magnificent species
03:01 in this year.
03:02 But the pregnancy length of a rhino takes 16 months.
03:06 So it's a long journey for the baby.
03:09 However, that brings us to the birth in early 2026.
03:16 And then from there, we will have many more rhinos,
03:19 because we have already 30 embryos, pure northern white
03:23 rhino embryos, which are all waiting for being transferred.
03:27 And then when the first babies are born,
03:29 we're working on the genetic variation
03:31 with the stem cell technology, where
03:33 we use skin cells from deceased animals
03:37 to provide more genes for the population.
03:40 Can be used as a blueprint for other critical engenders
03:46 like the Sumatran rhino.
03:49 However, we should keep really in mind
03:51 that this is a very expensive and very complicated process.
03:55 And it should be not a blank card for bad decision makers
03:59 so that they are irresponsible with the natural resources
04:03 of our planet.
04:04 We want to fix mistakes, errors from the past.
04:07 But we want not provide a new toolbox
04:11 for making future bad decisions.
04:15 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:18 (birds chirping)