The last living members of an extinct species - Jan Stejskal

Summary

The last two female northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu, symbolize the brink of extinction for their species. With no males left and both females unable to reproduce naturally, hope lies in advanced reproductive techniques. Conservationists are attempting to create viable embryos using stored semen and eggs from the females, with southern white rhinos as potential surrogates. This effort raises ethical questions about our responsibility towards endangered species and the limits of conservation efforts.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The last two known northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu, reside in Kenya's savannahs, signifying the species' functional extinction.
• ⏳ Poaching and civil wars over the past 50 years have led to a drastic decline in the northern white rhino population.
• 🔬 Conservationists initiated captive breeding programs in the 1970s, storing semen from male rhinos as part of the effort.
• 🐣 Only four northern white rhinos were born through the breeding program, with Nájin and Fatu being the final offspring.
• 🚫 Both Nájin and Fatu are unable to reproduce naturally due to health issues, and the last male, Sudan, died in 2018.
• 🧬 There is hope for the species through artificial reproduction techniques, despite the absence of living males and viable female reproduction.
• 💉 The process involves collecting eggs from the females, a procedure that requires sedation and presents risks.
• 🧴 Scientists have successfully created viable embryos in the lab by combining stored semen with collected eggs.
• 🦏 Southern white rhinos, a closely related species, are potential surrogate mothers for the northern white rhino embryos.
• 🔄 The two species diverged a million years ago but have interbred in the past, offering a basis for optimism in the surrogacy plan.
• 🌱 The ultimate goal is to reestablish a genetically diverse breeding population of northern white rhinos in their native habitat over decades.

Q & A

What is the current status of the northern white rhino species?

The northern white rhino species is functionally extinct, with Nájin and Fatu being the last two known individuals alive.

Why can't Nájin and Fatu reproduce to save their species?

Nájin has weak hindlegs that could be further harmed by pregnancy, and Fatu has a degenerated uterine lining, making it impossible for either of them to carry a calf to term.

What led to the decline of the northern white rhino population?

The decline was primarily due to poaching for their horns and civil wars in their habitat, which decimated the population.

When did conservationists start efforts to breed northern white rhinos in captivity?

Conservationists began trying to breed northern white rhinos in captivity in the 1970s.

What was the outcome of the initial captive breeding program for northern white rhinos?

Only four rhinos were born through the captive breeding program, with Nájin and Fatu being the last two.

What is the role of artificial reproduction in the effort to save the northern white rhino?

Artificial reproduction is a crucial part of the effort, as it involves creating viable embryos in the lab using stored semen and collected eggs from the last females.

How did scientists attempt to overcome the lack of a male northern white rhino for reproduction?

Scientists used stored semen from deceased males to fertilize the collected eggs from the female rhinos.

What species is considered as a potential surrogate mother for the northern white rhino embryos?

The southern white rhino, a closely related species, is considered as the potential surrogate mother.

What challenges are faced when transferring an embryo to a rhino?

The shape of the rhino's cervix makes the embryo transfer process tricky and complex.

What is the ultimate goal of the conservation efforts for the northern white rhino?

The ultimate goal is to establish a breeding population of northern white rhinos in their original range, which will take decades.

What ethical questions does the script raise about the responsibility of humans in saving endangered species?

The script raises questions about our responsibility to bring species back from the brink, especially when human actions contributed to their endangerment, and the limits of the effort we should expend on saving threatened animals.

Outlines

00:00

🐏 The Last Northern White Rhinos and the Quest for Revival

In Kenya's savannahs, the last two northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu, face the reality of their species' functional extinction due to the lack of a male for reproduction. The script traces the history of their decline, starting 50 years ago with rampant poaching and civil wars that led to a drastic population drop. Conservation efforts in the 1970s attempted to breed them in captivity, storing male semen, but only four rhinos were born, with Nájin and Fatu being the last. The death of the last male, Sudan, in 2018 seemed to signal the end, yet hope emerged in the form of artificial reproduction. The process is fraught with challenges, including egg collection from sedated females and creating viable embryos in a lab—a feat never accomplished before. Southern white rhinos, closely related, are considered as potential surrogates, with the first successful embryo creation taking place in 2019. The goal is to establish a breeding population in their native range, a task that requires decades and raises philosophical questions about our responsibility to save species driven to the brink by human actions.

05:04

🤔 Ethical and Practical Considerations in Species Conservation

The second paragraph delves into the ethical and practical dilemmas surrounding the conservation of endangered species. It poses questions about the extent of our responsibility to intervene in the natural world, particularly when human activities have contributed to a species' decline. The paragraph invites reflection on whether there are limits to the efforts and resources we should allocate to save animals on the verge of extinction. It challenges the viewer to consider the balance between preservation and the many other demands on societal resources, suggesting that conservation is not just a scientific endeavor but also a deeply philosophical one.

Keywords

💡Northern White Rhinos

The Northern White Rhinos are a subspecies of white rhinoceros native to the regions of central and northern Africa. They are the focus of this video as they are functionally extinct, with Nájin and Fatu being the last two individuals. The term is crucial to the video's theme as it highlights the plight of this species and the efforts to revive it.

💡Poaching

Poaching refers to the illegal hunting and killing of wildlife, often for the purpose of selling their body parts, such as horns in the case of rhinos. In the video, poaching is identified as a major factor contributing to the near extinction of the northern white rhinos, emphasizing the human impact on wildlife populations.

💡Captive Breeding

Captive breeding is the process of breeding endangered species in controlled environments like zoos or sanctuaries to increase their numbers. The video discusses the efforts to breed northern white rhinos in captivity since the 1970s, which is central to the conservation efforts and the story of Nájin and Fatu.

💡Artificial Reproduction

Artificial reproduction encompasses a range of techniques used to assist in the reproduction of species, especially when natural methods are not viable. The video describes the use of artificial reproduction as a last-ditch effort to save the northern white rhino species, involving egg collection and embryo creation in a lab.

💡Surrogate Mother

A surrogate mother is an individual who carries a pregnancy for another individual. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the southern white rhinos that may carry the embryos of the northern white rhinos. This concept is integral to the video's narrative on the scientific attempts to revive the species.

💡Southern White Rhinos

Southern White Rhinos are a closely related subspecies of white rhinoceros that inhabit a different region from the northern white rhinos. They play a significant role in the video as potential surrogate mothers for the northern white rhino embryos, illustrating the interspecies relationship and the role of closely related species in conservation efforts.

💡Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. The video mentions the importance of genetic diversity for the long-term survival of a species, and how samples from enough individuals could potentially recreate the genetic diversity of the northern white rhinos from a century ago.

💡Extinction

Extinction is the permanent loss of a species so that no living members remain. The video discusses the functional extinction of the northern white rhinos, a state where a species is extinct in the wild but may still exist in captivity, highlighting the urgency and importance of conservation efforts.

💡Conservationists

Conservationists are individuals or groups dedicated to the preservation of species and their habitats. In the video, conservationists are portrayed as the driving force behind the efforts to save the northern white rhinos, from initiating captive breeding programs to exploring advanced reproductive technologies.

💡Reproductive Problems

Reproductive problems refer to any issues that affect an individual's ability to reproduce. Nájin and Fatu, the last northern white rhinos, have reproductive problems that prevent them from carrying a calf, which is a central issue addressed in the video and a key reason for exploring alternative reproductive methods.

💡Embryo

An embryo is the early developmental stage of a multicellular organism. The video describes the creation of a viable northern white rhino embryo in a lab, a groundbreaking achievement that is a critical step in the process of artificial reproduction and species revival.

Highlights

The last two known northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu, are unable to reproduce due to lack of a male and their own health issues.

The northern white rhino species is functionally extinct, a result of poaching and civil wars.

Conservationists initiated captive breeding programs in the 1970s and collected semen from male rhinos.

Only four northern white rhinos were born through the breeding program, with Nájin and Fatu being the last.

Nájin and Fatu suffer from health issues that prevent them from carrying a pregnancy.

The last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died in 2018, leaving the species without a natural breeding option.

Artificial reproduction offers a glimmer of hope for the revival of the northern white rhino species.

Scientists had stored semen, but the process of collecting eggs from female rhinos is complex and risky.

Creating a viable embryo in the lab had never been done before for rhinos.

Southern white rhinos are closely related and become key to the embryo development process.

Researchers collected eggs from southern white rhinos as part of their treatment for reproductive issues.

A technique to create a viable embryo was developed at Avantea, an animal reproduction laboratory in Italy.

Nájin and Fatu’s eggs were extracted and successfully fertilized with northern white rhino sperm in August 2019.

Two embryos were developed to a stage where they could be frozen for future use.

The plan is to collect eggs from Nájin and Fatu three times a year if they are healthy enough.

Researchers are seeking southern white rhino surrogate mothers who have successfully carried a pregnancy.

Southern and northern white rhinos have interbred in the past, offering optimism for a successful surrogate pregnancy.

The ultimate goal is to reestablish a genetically diverse breeding population of northern white rhinos in their original habitat.

The effort to revive the northern white rhino raises questions about our responsibility to save species driven to extinction by human actions.

The case of the northern white rhino highlights the ethical and practical considerations in conservation efforts for endangered species.

Transcripts

In the savannahs of Kenya, two female northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu,

munch contentedly on the grass.

At the time of this video’s publication,

these are the last two known northern white rhinos left on Earth.

Their species is functionally extinct—

without a male, Nájin and Fatu can’t reproduce.

And yet, there’s still hope to revive the northern white rhino.

How can that be?

The story starts about 50 years ago,

when poachers began illegally hunting thousands of rhinos

across Africa for their horns.

This, combined with civil wars in their territory,

decimated northern white rhino populations.

Concerned conservationists began trying to breed them in captivity in the 1970s,

collecting and storing semen from males.

Only four rhinos were ultimately born through the ambitious breeding program.

Nájin, and her daughter Fatu were the last two.

In 2014, conservationists discovered that neither can have a calf.

Though Nájin gave birth to Fatu, she now has weak hindlegs,

which could harm her health if she became pregnant again.

Fatu, meanwhile, has a degenerated uterine lining.

Then, the last northern white rhino male of the species, Sudan, died in 2018.

But there was one glimmer of hope: artificial reproduction.

With no living males and no females able to carry a pregnancy,

this is a complicated and risky process to say the least.

Though scientists had stored semen, they would have to collect the eggs—

a complex procedure that requires a female to be sedated for up to two hours.

Then, they’d create a viable embryo in the lab—

something that had never been done before, and no one knew how to do.

Even that was just the beginning—

a surrogate mother of another rhino species

would have to carry the embryo to term.

Females of a closely related species, the southern white rhino,

became both the key to developing a rhino embryo in a lab

and the leading candidates for surrogate mothers.

Northern and southern white rhinos diverged about a million of years ago

into separate— though still closely-related— species.

They inhabit different regions, and have slightly different physical traits.

In a fortunate coincidence, several female southern white rhinos

needed treatment for their own reproductive problems,

and researchers could collect eggs as part of that treatment.

In Dvůr Králové Zoo in October 2015,

experts of IZW Berlin began collecting eggs from southern white rhinos

and sending them to Avantea, an animal reproduction laboratory in Italy.

There, scientists developed and perfected a technique to create a viable embryo.

Once they mastered the technique,

researchers extracted Nájin and Fatu’s eggs on August 22, 2019

and flew them to Italy.

Three days later, they fertilized the eggs with sperm

from a northern white rhino male.

After another week, two of the eggs made it to the stage of development

when the embryo can be frozen and preserved for future.

Another collection in December 2019 produced one more embryo.

As of early 2020, the plan is to collect Nájin and Fatu’s eggs three times a year

if they’re healthy enough.

In the meantime, researchers are looking for

promising southern white rhino surrogate mothers—

ideally who’ve carried a pregnancy to term before.

The surrogacy plan is somewhat of a leap of faith—

southern and northern white rhinos have interbred

both during the last glacial period and more recently in 1977,

so researchers are optimistic a southern white rhino

would be able to carry a northern white rhino to term.

Also, the two species’ pregnancies are the same length.

Still, transferring an embryo to a rhino is tricky

because of the shape of the cervix.

The ultimate goal, which will take decades,

is to establish a breeding population of northern white rhinos

in their original range.

Studies suggest that we have samples from enough individuals

to recreate a population with the genetic diversity the species had a century ago.

Though the specifics of this effort are unique,

as more species face critical endangerment or functional extinction,

it’s also an arena for big questions:

do we have a responsibility to try to bring species back from the brink,

especially when human actions brought them there in the first place?

Are there limits to the effort we should expend

on saving animals threatened with extinction?