Assisted reproduction for Limpopo’s rhinos

LIMPOPO – Dr Janine Barkas, a veterinarian at Rhino Force, recently delivered a compelling talk on assisted reproduction of rhinos at the monthly Nature on Tap event held at The Thirsty Giraffe.

Barkas highlighted the critical endangerment of the black rhino and the functional extinction of the Northern white rhino, with only two remaining females.

“There is no way for them to reproduce; only assisted reproduction can save them, although it might already be too late,” she stated. “With assisted reproduction, a Northern white rhino embryo is transferred to a Southern white rhino, resulting in the birth of a Northern white rhino.”

She elaborated on the process, explaining that semen is extracted from the male and either frozen or used immediately for artificial insemination.

“You can go a step further and collect egg cells from the female, create an embryo, and insert it into another female rhino. You get a calf that is not related to the surrogate mother,” she added.

This method, according to Barkas, preserves the genetics of the animals and allows for the introduction of genes or embryos to isolated or fragmented wildlife populations without physically moving the animals.

“When you translocate an animal, you are limited to that one animal and all the factors that can affect it. Many do not adapt well to new environments and unfamiliar plants,” she
noted.

Barkas also mentioned that they have found it more effective to create and freeze embryos rather than eggs, as the latter do not freeze well.

“A genetic reservoir is created and can be maintained in liquid nitrogen indefinitely,” she said.

She acknowledged several challenges in this process, including time constraints, environmental factors, the need for animals to remain recumbent, limited data on wildlife, and immobilisation protocols.

Despite these hurdles, the potential benefits of preserving endangered rhino species make these efforts crucial, Barkas concluded.