Breakthrough in Rhino IVF Technology Could Save Northern White Rhinos from Extinction

Scientists Successfully Implant Test Embryo into Southern White Rhino, Paving the Way for Future Conservation Efforts

Scientists from BioRescue and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research have successfully implanted a test embryo into a southern white rhino, marking a significant advancement in assisted reproduction technologies.
The surrogate rhino, Curra, died two months into her 16-month pregnancy from an unrelated bacterial infection, but the successful implantation of the egg shows promise for the technique.
The breakthrough could potentially save the critically endangered northern white rhinos from extinction. The last known members of the species, two infertile females, are being kept in Kenya.
Stored away in Italy and Germany are the living cells of 12 different northern white rhinos. BioRescue plans on using IVF to implant a northern white rhino embryo into a southern white rhino mother.
National Geographic has exclusively documented the process of using IVF on the rhino for an upcoming series, 'Explorer', set to premiere on Disney+ and Nat Geo in 2025.