Scientists striving to save the northern white rhino from extinction have announced their decision to retire one of the world’s last two individuals from their assisted breeding program. The BioRescue consortium resolved to stop harvesting eggs from 32-year-old Najin following an in-depth ethical risk assessment that took many factors into consideration, including her age, reproductive […]
Tag: white rhino
Eldest of world’s last two northern white rhinos retired from breeding programme
One of the world’s last two northern white rhinos is being retired from a breeding programme aimed at saving the species from extinction. Najin, 32, is the mother of Fatu, who is now the only donor left in the programme, which aims to implant artificially developed embryos into another more abundant species of rhino in […]
Armed suspected rhino poacher shot dead at Kruger National Park
CAPE TOWN – An armed suspected poacher was shot dead while his accomplice managed to escape when Kruger National Park (KNP) rangers followed up after hearing gunshots and stumbled upon them. A backpack with two rhino horns was recovered next to the body of the suspect, as well as a large-calibre rifle and poaching equipment. […]
Scientists create embryos to save northern white rhino
Scientists working to bring back the functionally extinct northern white rhino announced they had successfully created three additional embryos of the subspecies, bringing the total to 12. One of world’s two remaining live specimens—female Fatu who lives with her mother Najin on Kenya’s 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy—provided the eggs for the project, while the […]
South African dehorning initiative aims for ‘zero poached’ white rhinos
The team works quickly. As soon as a rhino is safely sedated, they motor up a chainsaw and begin shearing off the animal’s signature horns. White flakes of keratin fly through the air like snow, littering the ground. When they power the chainsaw off, only stubs are left where the rhino’s horns used to be. […]
Fake it till you save it? Synthetic animal parts pose a conservation conundrum
Twice a year, thousands of members of South Africa’s Nazareth Baptist Church clothe themselves in spots and walk to their holy grounds in KwaZulu-Natal province to take up a dance. Following the swell of horns and the pounding of a drum, more than 1,500 male dancers move together, their stamping feet and upraised arms swinging in […]
Meet ‘the girls’: the last two northern white rhinos on Earth – in pictures
Najin and Fatu are the only two rhinos of their species in existence. Jack Davison visited Ol Pejeta in Kenya to document a story that transcends tragedy. This article was first published by The Guardian on 10 February 2021. Lead Image: Here come the girls … Najin and Fatu. Photograph: Jack Davison. What you can […]
Trophy hunters killed one animal every three minutes over the last decade, damning study reveals, with creatures gunned down from helicopters
Bloodthirsty trophy-hunters are killing one animal every three minutes, a damning exposé of the industry has revealed. More than 1.7 million animals, including lions, elephants and endangered rhinos, have been slaughtered in the past decade, with wealthy hunters competing to kill the most highly prized creatures. The devastating figures have emerged in a book which highlights […]