In News:

The Northern White Rhino (NWR) is on the brink of extinction, with only two females—Najin and Fatu—remaining at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. However, a breakthrough in In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) has rekindled hope for reviving this subspecies, with 36 lab-created embryos ready for implantation. This effort is part of an international project named BioRescue.

About the White Rhino

• Scientific Name: Ceratotherium simum
• Common Name: Square-lipped rhinoceros (due to broad upper lip)
• Subspecies:
  • Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)
  • Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum)
• Habitat:
  • Southern White Rhino: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya
  • Northern White Rhino: Historically central and eastern Africa; now only in captivity
• IUCN Status:
  • White Rhino (overall): Near Threatened
  • Northern White Rhino: Critically Endangered
  • Southern White Rhino: Near Threatened

Biological Features

• Second-largest land mammal after elephants
• Square upper lip adapted for grazing on short grasses
• Two horns, with the front horn being larger
• No actual color difference between black and white rhinos

Social & Dietary Behavior

• Diet: Pure herbivores; feed almost exclusively on short grasses
• Behavior:
  • Semi-social and territorial
  • Males mark territories with dung
  • SWRs form larger social herds; NWRs were found in smaller groups

Threats to Survival

• Poaching for horns
• Habitat loss due to human encroachment
• Civil unrest, particularly in their native range
• Low genetic diversity, especially critical in the NWR
• Climate change, affecting habitat and water sources

Conservation Through Reproductive Technology

BioRescue Initiative

• An international scientific effort launched in 2015 to save the NWR using advanced reproductive technologies.
• Uses frozen sperm from deceased males and eggs from Najin and Fatu to create embryos in the lab.
• 36 embryos have been successfully created and are stored for future implantation.

IVF and Surrogacy

• First-ever rhino pregnancy via lab-made embryo announced recently.
• Southern white rhinos are used as surrogate mothers due to genetic similarity and higher population.
• IVF and embryo transfers are the only options since the last male NWR, Sudan, died in 2018, and both remaining females are non-reproductive due to age and health.

Challenges & Concerns

• Limited gene pool restricts genetic variability.
• Loss of unique traits if crossbred with southern white rhinos.
• Behavioral imprinting: IVF calves must learn from remaining NWR females before they pass away.
• Ethical and ecological concerns: Critics argue conservation must also address root causes like poaching, habitat destruction, and lack of genetic diversity, not just focus on “test-tube” solutions.

Indian Rhinoceros

• Scientific Name: Rhinoceros unicornis (Greater One-Horned Rhino)
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• Habitat: Indian subcontinent (Assam, West Bengal, UP, Nepal)
• It is distinct from African rhinos, both genetically and ecologically.