WHY THE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO NEEDS YOUR HELP

The Northern White Rhinoceros is the rarest animal in the world. Only two females remain alive. All males are deceased.

Technology used to create human babies in sterile women (in vitro fertilization with a human surrogate mother) can be used to reverse the current biological extinction of this species.

The dramatic potential of this technology to reverse extinction cannot proceed without funding. Current estimates are $4 million to create the first Northern White Rhinoceros calf.

If successful, this technology could potentially be used to battle extinction in other species. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt, HonFRCVS, HonMSRF, Dip ECZM

Chair, Wildlife Reproduction Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin

Head, Dept. Reproduction Management

Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research

Honorary Professorial Fellow Life Sciences, Melbourne University

Research associate, Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park

Fellow of the Zoological Society of San Diego Zoo

Scientific Associate Taronga Conservation Society Australia

Conservation Fellow of the Zoological Society London

Veterinary advisor for the European elephant Taxon Advisory Group

He heads an international team of scientists who have the expertise to successfully complete this project.

"I am confident that our international team will be able to produce a genetically pure Northern White Rhino calves in the future." - Thomas Hildebrandt DVM

But we are in a race against time. Both Females are unable to concieve, are aging and the viability of their eggs diminishes every day. There is no assurance of their long-term health or security from poaching.

"Everything would have been faster had we had solid financing. We are not running out of money. The truth is that we never had the money." - Thomas Hildebrandt DVM

Reversing this extinction and the promise it brings to other endangered species will depend upon rapid and substancial international financial support. Harvest eggs from the ovaries of the two remaining female northern white rhinoceroses.

These eggs will be preserved and sent to Cremona, Italy where Dr. Carlos Galli will combine samples of frozen male sperm with eggs to create embryos.

Emryos will be transported to South Africa and implanted into the bodies of female Southern White Rhinoceroses.

This process can be repeated to create more than one calf if enough embryos can be produced.